Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has officially been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) after 14 years and 22,000 survey responses gathered jointly with international societies and patient groups across six continents, as announced on Tuesday, 12 May, at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague.
The renaming initiative was led by endocrinologist and director of Melbourne’s Monash Centre for Health Research & Implementation, Prof. Helena Teede, along with other experts. They underscored that the term “polycystic” is inaccurate and causes misinterpretation, contributing to delayed diagnosis and insufficient medical care.
New research by experts clarified that PMOS does not have a higher rate of abnormal ovarian cysts, reflecting hopes of better understanding the condition’s complex nature, which affects not only the reproductive system but also metabolism and the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
“It might sound like it’s just a simple name change, but it’s seriously not,” Teede said.
“Not only will it move away from the inaccurate cyst implication and the focus on the ovaries, but it will actually get people to understand the broader nature of the condition,” she added.
With these changes, women can be diagnosed with the condition based on the following symptoms:
Irregular periods or absent ovulation
Higher levels of androgen (including increased facial or body hair, acne, and weight changes)
Ultrasound findings showing 20 “antral” follicles
In 1995, academic articles began discussing renaming the condition, and in 2012, the National Institutes of Health recommended changing its name, though it took more than a decade for the proposal to be considered.
“We want this to stick and to make it not just an idea from a few experts, which is how it used to happen. We used to never consider patient perspectives when we changed the name,” Teede underscored.
A total of 56 medical and patient societies across relevant disciplines were involved in the decision-making process regarding the changes.
Patients diagnosed with the condition have welcomed the change, saying it better captures the true nature of the syndrome and offers hope for improving women’s health management.