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Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), following a 14-year global effort, led by Monash University in Australia, to improve diagnosis and care.
The condition, affecting more than 170 million women worldwide, or more than one in eight, was misunderstood to be “all about ovarian cysts”.
PMOS is characterised by fluctuations in hormones, with impacts on weight, metabolic and mental health, skin, and the reproductive system.
Professor Helena Teede, Director, Monash Centre for Health Research & Implementation and endocrinologist, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia, led the name change process after decades of research into the condition and seeing patient impacts first hand.
The name change took 14 years of global collaboration between experts and those with lived experience across six continents. Teede said it was the largest initiative to change the name of a medical condition.
Transition to the new name will occur over three years, supported by a multi-pronged strategy with a view to greater awareness, enhanced diagnosis, improved care quality and patient satisfaction, and optimised outcomes across the broad features of the condition.
This period will be supported by a major international education and awareness campaign, reaching healthcare professionals, governments, and researchers around the world. PMOS will be fully implemented in the 2028 International Guideline update.
Divya Balaji Kamerkar, Co-founder and CEO of Pinky Promise, India said, "PCOS was always a misnomer. Most women don't have cysts. Many don't have irregular periods. And yet the entire diagnostic framework was built around a name that described the wrong thing. Renaming it to PMOS, Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, finally centres the conversation where it belongs: on metabolism, hormones, and whole body health. At Pinky Promise, we have been building for exactly this reality. This is a win for every woman who was dismissed, misdiagnosed, or left to figure it out alone. But a name change is the beginning, not the destination."
