A Medical Revolutionary Change for a Misunderstood Disease that Affects Women: Why PCOS Is Now PMOS

First, it was named after two men. Then, it was named for a false premise. Now, after more than a century, one of the most common hormone disorders affecting women worldwide has a name that reflects the science.

A global consortium of healthcare experts, patients, and advocates has announced that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) should now be known as Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). The change, 14 years in the making, was revealed this week at the European Congress of Endocrinology.

Gynecologic and endocrinology experts, as well as adolescent medicine specialists - PMOS can be diagnosed as early as teenage years - agree that this is a validation of patients’ broader symptoms and a clearer path to a comprehensive diagnosis and management plan that addresses all facets of their health, encouraging earlier and more effective intervention.

"The shift from PCOS to PMOS is a landmark moment in endocrinology and a victory for the millions of patients who have been overlooked for decades,” says Michelle Maresca, M.D., an endocrinologist who treats patients with PMOS at Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center. “The previous name was a significant barrier to diagnosis and also to understanding the disease process; by focusing solely on the ovaries, it encouraged a narrow view that missed the bigger metabolic and hormonal picture. Removing the focus on ovarian morphology and appreciating the metabolic dysfunction aspect will encourage a more comprehensive approach to treatment, and validation of patients' complex hormonal and metabolic symptoms."

"For a teenager, the name 'Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome' was particularly confusing as typically there are no pathologic ovarian cysts in this age group and often pelvic imaging is not indicated. By shifting the language to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, we are being more inclusive of the range of diverse and multisystem features adolescents and young adult women experience,” says Jennifer L. Northridge, M.D. chief of Adolescent Medicine at Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center. “We move from a place of fear to one of empowerment. The new name gives us a clearer platform to discuss how nutrition, exercise, and metabolic health are tools they can use to take control of their bodies, helping to build a foundation of wellness."