Polycystic ovarian syndrome, most commonly known as PCOS, is no more. Instead, doctors will now be referring to the condition as polyendocrine metabolic syndrome – or, PMOS. It’s just one letter, but it makes all the difference, according to the doctors who treat it.
“This is one of the most meaningful shifts I have seen in reproductive endocrinology in my career,” says Lora Shahine. Here’s why – and how the change will affect the more than 170 million people worldwide who have the syndrome.
What’s behind the change?
Renaming a syndrome doesn’t happen overnight. Over the past decade, a team based out of Monash University in Australia led by Helena Teede, PhD, got input from more than 50 organisations and over 22 000 patients and clinicians from around the world to arrive at a new consensus: PCOS is more accurately labelled as PMOS. In May 2026, their work was published in the major medical journal The Lancet, officially ushering in the change.
The biggest reason for the rename is that PCOS implies the existence of abnormal ovarian cysts – but plenty of people with the condition don’t have them. “The name was fundamentally incorrect,” Teede says. “It failed to reflect the diverse nature of the condition.”
The Whole-Body Reality
Until now, PMOS was technically thought of as an ovarian or gynaecological disorder. That’s because a common symptom is irregular periods or inconsistent ovulation. But, per the people who have it and the doctors who treat them, it’s a lot more. “The name PCOS was always a bit misleading,” says Rekha Kumar. “It pointed to the ovaries as the source of the problem, but for the patients I see every day, this condition is so much bigger than that. We’ve known for years that it affects hormones, metabolism, energy, weight and even mental health.” That’s why it’s common for patients with PMOS to experience acne, excessive hair growth on the face and body and weight gain.
The name shift puts the emphasis on the endocrine and metabolic systems, which are greatly affected for people with PMOS. For example, between 70 and 80 percent of people with the syndrome have insulin resistance, says Dr Shahine. They also deal with cardiovascular challenges, including higher rates of hypertension and dyslipidemia, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, gestational diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy, and a four-fold increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to the World Health Organization.
READ MORE: Painful Periods? PCOS? Meet The Hormone-Balancing Supps
What does this mean for people with PMOS?
Per the Lancet study, up to 70 percent of people with PMOS go undiagnosed – and a formerly misleading name is part of that. “The name change is really about accuracy, and accuracy matters when it comes to how people get diagnosed and treated,” Dr Kumar says. When docs are too focused on ovarian symptoms at the expense of metabolic and endocrine ones, they may be missing a diagnosis that’s right in front of them
When it comes to treatment, the new name means looking more holistically at the patient. Now, primary care, endocrinology, cardiology, mental health and reproductive medicine should have a seat at the table in diagnosis and treating PMOS, Dr Shahine says. “For clinicians, the new name is a prompt,” she says. “It signals at every encounter that this is an endocrine and metabolic condition, not just a gynaecologic one. That should change screening, referral and counselling patterns.” For example, she says, a 16-year-old with acne and irregular periods should get a metabolic workup – not just a prescription for birth control. And a 55-year-old in perimenopause should still have her cardiovascular and metabolic health monitored, because their increased lifetime risk in those areas doesn’t go away with ovulation.
READ MORE: Millions of Women Struggle With PCOS In South Africa, So Let’s Unpack It
Moving Beyond Fertility
Medicine has historically thought of PMOS as a fertility issue, since it can make it much harder to get pregnant, but it’s not solely about fertility. The result: Patients being told they didn’t need to treat their PMOS, Dr Shahine says. This caused real harm as they suffered with non-fertility-related symptoms and failed to address their increased health risks. “Insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, fatigue, weight changes – these were too often treated as secondary concerns or, worse, as personal failures,” Dr Kumar says. “That did a real disservice to patients.”
By broadening the scope of the condition, it might also get more attention and research. “Conditions that seem very specific to women that are very specific to female organs are often overlooked and don’t get the attention that they deserve,” says Kelly Culwell. By giving it a more holistic and truthful name, Dr Culwell hopes that PMOS will face less of an uphill battle when it comes to being a priority.
There’s also the personal impact. The change is just flat-out more validating for patients, says Navya Mysore. It speaks to a wider range of what patients experience. “So many women I’ve worked with spent years being told to just lose weight or try harder, without anyone connecting the dots to what was actually happening hormonally and metabolically,” Dr Kumar says. “The new name helps validate that experience. It’s a signal from the medical community that we’re finally listening.”
Better Tools For Treatment
Doctors and patients alike are now getting a clear message in the name change: there are real, systemic, multifactorial endocrine and metabolic disruptions at play. For such a misunderstood condition that often put the onus on patients themselves to treat symptoms (by “just losing weight,” among other suggestions), it’s a big step in legitimising the experience of having the condition. “This condition has real biological and hormonal roots,” Dr Kumar says. “It’s not about willpower. It never was.”
Plus, without a better understanding of the why behind symptoms, treatments were lacklustre. “We were too quick to recommend weight loss without acknowledging the underlying physiology,” Dr Shahine says. “Telling someone with profound insulin resistance to ‘just eat less and exercise more’ without addressing the metabolic biology is both ineffective and harmful.” Instead, what docs need are better tools for treating PMOS. (Most recently, they’ve been using GLP-1s – and it’s been promising.) Hopefully, with a more descriptive name, researchers can find even more targeted treatments, Dr Culwell says.
READ MORE: PCOS Diet Plan: The Best Foods To Eat (And Limit) When You Have PCOS, According To Experts
We Still Have A Lot Of Progress To Make When It Comes To PMOS. Here’s What’s Next
This step is important – but Teede herself will tell you that more needs to be done. “Once renamed, [this syndrome] can be reclassified, research funding can be broadened, new medications can be developed, education can be streamed appropriately beyond the ovary, and care models can address more than infertility,” she says. “The name change alone cannot do that, but the rest can now follow.”
Broadening Research And Funding
From endocrine to OBGYN to primary care, docs who treat this condition are encouraged by this step. “I’m hopeful this change will encourage earlier recognition, reduce stigma and confusion, and ultimately lead to more comprehensive care that addresses insulin resistance, cardiovascular health, mental health, inflammation and long-term wellness – not just reproductive symptoms,” Dr Mysore says. “For many patients, language matters and this feels like a step toward care that is more accurate, inclusive and patient-centred.”
One of the most urgent issues, per the doctors, is earlier diagnoses. It can take years before someone is diagnosed with PMOS, with the wait being even longer for patients of colour, patients in larger bodies and patients without access to speciality care, Dr Shahine says. Even with this major paper, more research – particularly in underrepresented groups – is needed to build off of the new understanding of PMOS. Then, more rigorous, integrated care that spans multiple health departments should follow.
READ MORE: “I Was Diagnosed With PCOS – Here’s What You Should Look Out For”
Standardising Clinical Care
Another, more immediate change has to do with formalities. Dr Shahine notes that the name switch needs to be reflected in clinical guidelines, health record systems, and payer policies – otherwise, it remains theoretical.
Finally, with PMOS (as with many other conditions that are associated with women), there also needs to be a cultural change. “We need a fundamental shift in how medicine talks about women’s weight and metabolic health,” Dr Kumar says. “Not through blame or oversimplification, but through real clinical understanding of the female metabolic system – and genuine empathy for what it’s like to live with it.”
Some good news? This development alone has reignited that conversation in major ways. “In two days this news has reached over 500 000 000 people,” Teede says.
Meet the experts: Lora Shahine, MD, is an OBGYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Pacific Northwest Fertility. Helena Teede, PhD, is an endocrinologist and the director of Monash Center for Health Research Implementation. Rekha Kumar, MD, is an endocrinologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and a senior medical advisor at Found. Nayva Mysore, MD, is a primary care physician and women’s health expert. Kelly Culwell, MD, is an OBGYN.
This article by Olivia Luppino was originally published on Women’s Health US.
