PCOS is now PMOS (and it’s about time)

It’s not the first time medical language has failed women. 

“Morning sickness” can actually strike at any time of the day, and in its most severe form (hyperemesis gravidarum) can be life threatening. Or the term "habitual aborter" for people experiencing multiple miscarriages, named as if those women chose to lose pregnancies as a hobby.

Medical language has never been neutral. But sometimes, when enough women refuse to be silent, things change. On May 12, 2026 after a 14-year long process involving 22,000 patients, doctors, and researchers from 56 organisations, PCOS officially changed its name. Introducing PMOS: Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. One letter difference, but a significant step forward for women everywhere.

Learn more about what PMOS means, why the old name was incorrect, and what this means for diagnosis and care.
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Why change PCOS to PMOS

What is in a name? A lot, actually.

The previous name itself was wrong by the third syllable. Polycystic. Meaning, many cysts. Except, and this is the part that should have raised an eyebrow decades ago, women with this condition are no more likely to have abnormal ovarian cysts than anyone else.

The real symptoms of PCOS are irregular periods, acne, hair loss, weight gain, and fertility challenges. What shows up on an ultrasound are arrested follicles — tiny, immature eggs that haven't developed properly.

Not cysts. Never cysts.
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Why was it originally called PCOS?

The story is as fascinating as it is annoying. In 1935, two gynaecologists, Irving Stein and Michael Leventhal, were investigating infertility in women.

They noticed during a surgery that their patients' ovaries were dotted with numerous small cyst-like structures. When removed, menstruation (the women’s periods) started again, and some women went on to have children.

They assumed the dots were cysts. Under a microscope, the doctors saw fluid filled sacs. Case closed; cysts. The problem was that the science of female hormones was so understudied and misunderstood then that no one could explain what the sacs really were. They were follicles, eggs that had stopped developing mid-cycle because of a hormonal disruption. But to 1935 mind, they were cysts.

And the name stuck, for over 90 years, causing misdiagnoses and generations of women to leave doctors’ offices with more questions than answers. 
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The real cost of the wrong name?

The name PCOS didn’t just get the core idea of the condition wrong, it caused real, measurable harm.

Because the name pointed at the ovaries, ultrasounds became the core diagnostic tool. Women would be told that their scans looked normal and were sent home without a diagnosis. They didn’t realise that you don’t need ovarian cysts to have the condition and that ultrasounds didn’t provide the full picture.

The result: up to 70% of women with PCOS/PMOS were never diagnosed.

‍For those who were diagnosed, things weren’t much better. The largest study of PCOS diagnosis experiences shows that 1 in 3 women waited over two years for a diagnosis, almost half of them saw three or more doctors, and only 15% felt they had been given enough information when they were, eventually, diagnosed. Let’s say it again for those at the back: only 15 percent. 

Another part of the problem was that because of the name, the condition was mainly managed by gynaecologists. And while we love a supportive gyno, and agree they’re a core part of PCOS/PMOS care, the issue isn’t just in the ovaries.

PMOS requires a multidisciplinary team; a gynaecologist for the reproductive side, an endocrinologist for hormones and metabolic care, a GP, a dietician, and mental health support too. It takes a village to care for PMOS patients. Not one doctor looking at one organ.

As Dr Rekha Kumar, endocrinologist at NewYork-Presbyterian, put it: “[calling it PCOS] obscured the wide-ranging endocrine and metabolic features of the condition, which caused delayed diagnoses, fragmented care, and stigma, while curtailing research."

In short: bad name. Really bad outcomes for patients.
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What does PMOS mean?

Time to celebrate the new name and the thought that went into it. Every word in PMOS was chosen deliberately.

Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome:

‍Poly: many.
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‍Endocrine: relating to the body’s hormone producing glands.

Immediately this name does something the old one didn’t.This isn’t about cysts. It’s about hormones. The ‘many’ here doesn’t refer to something you’d see on an ultrasound. It refers to multiple interacting hormone disturbances that cause the condition.

Insulin, androgens like testosterone, neuroendocrine hormones that connect the brain to the ovaries. Different systems are influencing and disrupting each other. Causing unique symptoms for every woman with the condition.

‍Metabolic: how your body processes energy, sugar, and insulin. Arguably the most important change, the M in PMOS is about insulin resistance. A key part of the puzzle that was misunderstood or overlooked — until now.

Insulin resistance means your body produces insulin but can’t use it properly, so it has to make more of it, disrupting everything from your weight to your hormones to your long-term health.

Up to 85% of people with PMOS have some degree of insulin resistance. And around 75% of those people aren’t overweight. Which means the “just lose weight” advice so many women were told wasn’t just unhelpful, it missed the point entirely.

‍Ovarian: related to the ovaries.

Yes, this is still in the name. On purpose. The ovaries haven’t been written out of the PCOS/PMOS story. Instead, they have been put in the correct place. They’re one affected part of a much wider hormonal disruption. Simply put: they’re part of the condition, not the cause of it.

Irregular cycles, disrupted ovulation, and problems with fertility. These are all real features of the condition, but are not the whole story. And now, finally, the condition name reflects this.

‍Syndrome: a collection of features that occur together.

No single symptom. A pattern. And finally, a name that describes what that pattern actually is.
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How the name PCOS finally changed (buckle-up)

Like many things in women’s health, people called for it. Again and again. Knowing that women deserve better healthcare.

The change didn’t happen overnight. It started with a recommendation. In 2012, the US National Institutes of Health formally called for PCOS to be renamed. This recommendation went, unfortunately, largely nowhere. Apparently, the medical world had other priorities (probably men’s health).

Several renaming attempts followed, but each failed to gain enough support. Women realised that to rename PCOS would require coming together with international leadership. To fight for a democratic consensus and place patients and research at the centre.

Enter: Professor Helena Teede. An Australian endocrinologist and Director of the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation. Hazel's kind of woman, frankly.

Professor Teede, having spent decades watching the name PCOS create harm, led the largest initiative ever undertaken to rename a medical condition.

And she didn't do it alone. Alongside her was Rachel Morman, Chair of Verity (the UK's leading PCOS patient charity) who ensured the voices of women actually living with the condition were at the centre of every decision, not an afterthought.

Over 14 years, three major global surveys were conducted. Around 22,000 people across six continents shared their thoughts. Doctors, researchers, patients, charities, and advocacy organisations all spoke up to say this name isn’t accurate. It’s not good enough. And it’s not staying.

The results were published in the Lancet on 12 May 2026. It was backed by 56 leading academic, clinical, and patient organisations (including Australia's own RANZCOG).86% of patients and 71% of clinicians surveyed supported the change.

The name PMOS will be fully adopted in the 2028 international guideline update, giving health systems, medical schools, and organisations three years to get up to speed.

But for the 170 million women living with this condition, the change speaks volumes right now.
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What does this mean for people diagnosed with PCOS?

For people with PMOS, your diagnosis won't change. But your care might.

If you were diagnosed with PCOS, your diagnosis will be carried forward as PMOS. No need to update forms or contact your doctor. The condition is the same as it was before, it’s just named properly now.

The same diagnostic criteria applies: irregular periods, signs of excess androgens, or evidence of arrested follicle development. Nothing about how you experienced the condition will have changed. Just the label.

However, as the name now reflects the full hormonal and metabolic picture, it creates a different kind of conversation with your doctor. More than just your cycles or fertility.

With the change in name, you can expect a full metabolic screening (remember the M in PMOS? This is why). This means your blood sugars, blood pressure, cholesterol, and cardiovascular risks will all be taken into account.

If insulin resistance has never been discussed with you, it's more likely to come up now. And if your treatment plan has mostly been "take the Pill" or "lose weight", you now have stronger grounds to ask for better. And you should.

A new name won't fix everything (unfortunately, women have a LOT to contend with). But it gives you the language to ask for what you actually need. Not just gynaecological care. Multisystem care, designed around the full reality of PMOS.
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What does this mean for people diagnosed with PCOS?

We’re so glad you asked. Here are some helpful things you can do.
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• Use the new name: Start calling it what it is, PMOS.  In conversation, with your doctors, with friends, on medical forms. The best way to support women's health language advocacy is to take part in it.
  
  
• Book a review appointment: If you haven’t seen your doctor since the new name dropped, now is a great time. Even if nothing has changed in your symptoms, the new name will help start broader conversations about your care and treatment options.
  
  
• Ask about metabolic screenings: If you haven’t had your blood sugars checked before (not to mention your insulin levels, cholesterol, or blood pressure) this is the time to ask for it. It’s now considered a core part of PMOS care.
  
  
• Don't accept single-system treatment plans: The name PCOS is a thing of the past. Don't accept care that just looks at the ovaries. A whole-body condition needs whole-body care.
  
  
• Share this article: One in eight women has this condition. And many of them might not know that the name has changed or what that means for their care. Getting the word out, literally, is one of the most important things you can do. 
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PMOS in a nutshell:

PMOS, Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, is the new name for what was previously called PCOS. Same condition. Better name.

PMOS is a complex, whole-body hormonal and metabolic disorder involving multiple hormone systems, insulin resistance, and ovarian dysfunction. It is not defined by cysts and it never was.

And after 91 years, the name finally reflects that.