A condition affecting one in eight women has been officially renamed. Here is what every woman should know, and how to have a better conversation with your GP.
If you have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or if you have been wondering for years whether your symptoms might be related to it, then you will want to read this. On the 12th of May 2026, following 14 years of international collaboration, a landmark paper published in The Lancet formally announced that PCOS has been renamed. The condition is now called Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, or PMOS. One letter different in the acronym, but an enormous shift in what that name tells us about the condition, how it is understood by doctors, and how it should be diagnosed and treated.
This update is for every woman on our network, whether you have a formal diagnosis, whether you are still searching for answers, or whether something in these pages resonates with you in a way that makes you want to pick up the phone to your GP. We hope it helps.
Why Was the Name Changed?
The old name, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, was always a bit of a misnomer, and clinicians and researchers have known that for a long time. It implied that the condition was essentially about cysts on the ovaries, which led to a great deal of confusion for patients and, honestly, for some healthcare professionals too. The reality is that what you see on an ultrasound scan are small antral follicles, immature egg-containing sacs that are a normal physiological structure, not pathological cysts in the clinical sense. They do not cause pain, they do not need to be removed, and they are not the driving force behind the condition.
This mischaracterisation had real and tangible consequences. Women were told they had cysts on their ovaries and went away with an incomplete, and often frightening, picture of what was actually happening in their bodies. Other conditions causing genuine ovarian cysts were sometimes missed because PCOS was the assumed explanation. Diagnoses were delayed, often by years. Women were sent away, sometimes repeatedly, without the full metabolic workup their symptoms warranted. The name, in short, was getting in the way of the medicine.
The process of arriving at a new name was thorough, rigorous, and genuinely patient-centred. More than 22,000 survey responses were gathered from women living with the condition and from multidisciplinary healthcare professionals across the globe. Fifty-six leading academic, clinical, and patient organisations were involved, including the Endocrine Society and Verity, the UK-based charity for people with PCOS. Rachel Morman, Chair of Verity, was part of the consensus panel and summed it up well when she said that the new name finally leads with hormones and recognises the metabolic dimension of the condition. That shift in framing, she noted, would demand the condition be taken as seriously as the complex, long-term health condition it truly is (Teede et al., 2026).
So What Does PMOS Actually Mean?
Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. Each word is doing real work here. Polyendocrine tells us that multiple hormonal systems are involved, not just the ovaries but also insulin signalling, adrenal hormones, and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Metabolic acknowledges that this is fundamentally a condition affecting how the body processes energy, stores fat, and regulates blood sugar. Ovarian remains in the name to maintain continuity for the millions of women already diagnosed and to recognise that the ovaries are still meaningfully involved in the condition. And Syndrome reflects what it has always been: a cluster of features, not a single disease with a single cause.
What this means in practice is that PMOS is now understood, formally and officially, as a complex, multisystem condition involving endocrine, metabolic, reproductive, dermatological, and psychological health. It is not primarily a gynaecological disorder. It is not just about periods or fertility. It is a lifelong hormonal and metabolic condition that affects almost every system in the body, and its management needs to reflect that (Teede et al., 2026).
What Are the Symptoms? Recognising PMOS
PMOS affects roughly one in eight women of reproductive age, equating to more than 170 million people worldwide. Yet it remains significantly underdiagnosed, often by years, partly because its symptoms are varied, affect different body systems, and are sometimes mistaken for separate, unrelated problems. Symptoms can ebb and flow over time too, appearing to settle during some periods and then resurfacing, often at times of stress, hormonal change, or significant life events.
The most common presentations include:
- Irregular, absent, heavy, or painful periods. Cycles that are fewer than eight per year, or that are unpredictable, are a key feature of PMOS.
- Signs of raised androgens (male hormones), including coarse facial hair growth (hirsutism), acne to the jawline, chest, and back, and male-patterned hair thinning or loss.
- Weight gain, particularly around the abdomen, which is closely linked to insulin resistance.
- Fatigue, often profound, and frequently linked to blood sugar instability.
- Low mood, anxiety, and depression. Research has consistently shown a threefold increased risk of depression and anxiety in women with PMOS, regardless of body weight (Cooney et al., 2017).
- Difficulty conceiving, or subfertility, due to irregular or absent ovulation.
- Features of insulin resistance, which essentially means the body requires far more insulin than normal to manage blood sugar levels. Where there is more insulin, there is typically more weight gain, compounding the hormonal imbalance further.
It is important to remember that not every woman with PMOS will have every symptom. Some will present predominantly with metabolic features, others primarily with menstrual irregularities or skin changes. Some will be slim, some will carry more weight. The condition does not look the same in every woman, and that variability has historically been one of the reasons diagnosis has been missed or delayed.
How Is PMOS Diagnosed?
The diagnostic criteria themselves have not fundamentally changed with the renaming. Diagnosis still follows the Rotterdam criteria (2003), which requires the presence of at least two of the following three features, once other causes such as thyroid dysfunction, raised prolactin levels, or late-onset congenital adrenal hyperplasia have been excluded:
- Irregular or absent ovulation, reflected in infrequent or absent periods.
- Clinical or biochemical evidence of raised androgens, such as facial hair growth, acne, or elevated testosterone levels on blood testing.
- Polycystic ovarian morphology on ultrasound, defined as 20 or more follicles per ovary, or an ovarian volume greater than 10ml.
An important point to be absolutely clear on: you can have PMOS and not have a single cyst visible on your scan. Only two of the three criteria need to be present to reach a diagnosis, provided other conditions have been ruled out. If a doctor has told you that PMOS cannot be confirmed because your scan looked normal, please do ask them to revisit this, as a normal ultrasound does not exclude the condition.
From a clinical perspective, what the name change to PMOS should also now prompt is a more comprehensive metabolic workup at the point of diagnosis, rather than focusing solely on reproductive hormones. The shift in therapeutic thinking is toward identifying and addressing upstream metabolic drivers, primarily insulin resistance, from the very first consultation, alongside any reproductive concerns (AJMC, 2026). Blood tests should include testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), LH and FSH, DHEAS, fasting glucose and insulin levels, HbA1c, a lipid profile, and vitamin D. This is a more complete picture than many women have historically been offered.
How to Talk to Your GP: Practical Guidance for Women
We know, from years of working with women in our network, that navigating a GP consultation about hormonal symptoms can feel daunting. You might worry about being dismissed, or that your concerns will be attributed to stress or lifestyle alone. The good news is that the renaming of PCOS to PMOS has come with an explicit commitment to improving clinical awareness and updating guidelines in 195 countries over the next three years, with NICE in the UK already confirming that the new terminology will be adopted in upcoming guidance (Pulse Today, 2026). That is a meaningful shift.
Here is some practical advice if you believe your symptoms may be related to PMOS:
- Write your symptoms down before your appointment. Include how long you have had them, whether they fluctuate, and how they affect your daily life. Include everything, even symptoms that seem unrelated to each other, such as fatigue, skin changes, mood, weight, and cycle irregularities, because together they form a picture.
- Be specific about your periods. How many cycles do you have per year? Are they regular? Are they heavy or painful? If you use a period tracking app, bring the data. Numbers are helpful in a consultation.
- Ask specifically for a PMOS screen. You can name it as PMOS, the newly renamed PCOS, and explain that you would like a full hormonal and metabolic blood panel, including testosterone, insulin, glucose, HbA1c, SHBG, and a lipid profile. You are entitled to ask for this, and you should feel confident doing so.
- Request an ultrasound if appropriate. A transvaginal ultrasound gives the clearest picture, though a pelvic ultrasound can be used if transvaginal is not possible or acceptable. Remember, though, that a normal scan does not rule out PMOS.
- Mention your mental health. Depression and anxiety are strongly linked to PMOS and should be assessed as part of the clinical picture, not treated as an entirely separate issue.
- Ask for a second opinion if you are not satisfied. You have every right to ask to see another GP or to be referred to an endocrinologist or gynaecologist with a specialist interest in hormonal conditions. If your concerns are not being heard, persist. Your instinct about your own body is worth pursuing.
If you have already been diagnosed with PCOS in the past, your diagnosis is still valid. You do not need to be rediagnosed. The condition is the same; only the name has changed. However, it may be worth booking a review with your GP or practice nurse to discuss whether your management plan fully reflects the metabolic dimension of the condition, particularly if insulin resistance, weight, mood, or cardiovascular risk factors have not been addressed alongside any reproductive concerns.
Understanding Insulin Resistance: A Core Feature of PMOS
Insulin resistance is at the heart of PMOS for the vast majority of women living with the condition, and it is present regardless of body weight. Put simply, it means the body needs to produce far more insulin than normal in order to keep blood sugar levels stable. The consequence of chronically elevated insulin is significant: it directly stimulates the ovaries to overproduce androgens (male hormones), which suppresses ovulation, drives the acne and hair changes, and compounds the weight gain, particularly around the abdomen. More insulin always means more weight gain, and more weight gain tends to worsen insulin resistance further. It is a cycle, and understanding it is the first step to interrupting it (Goodarzi et al., 2011).
Checking your waist circumference is a useful and simple way to assess for visceral fat, the kind of fat stored around the internal organs which is most closely linked to insulin resistance. If you have access to a continuous glucose monitor, even temporarily, it can provide a remarkably clear picture of how your blood sugar is responding throughout the day and after meals, and this can be very useful information to share with your GP. It is also worth knowing that impaired glucose tolerance can be present well before a formal diagnosis of type 2 diabetes appears on standard blood tests, which is one of the reasons this aspect of PMOS is so important to identify and address early.
Treatment and Management: What You Should Expect
Treatment for PMOS is individualised, and rightly so, because the condition looks different in different women. That said, there are evidence-based approaches that your clinician should be considering, and it is reasonable to ask why certain options have or have not been discussed.
Lifestyle Medicine: Genuinely First-Line
Lifestyle intervention is recognised as first-line treatment for all PMOS phenotypes, regardless of body weight, and this is not a dismissal. It is a recognition that nutritional and exercise strategies have a direct and measurable impact on insulin sensitivity, ovulatory function, and symptom burden. A Mediterranean-style diet, rich in polyphenols, fibre, and omega-3 fatty acids and low in refined carbohydrates, has demonstrated benefits for both reproductive and metabolic outcomes. Resistance training combined with moderate aerobic activity has good evidence for improving insulin sensitivity and restoring ovulatory cycles. Stress reduction is also genuinely important, not as a platitude but because cortisol dysregulation has a direct impact on the hormonal picture in PMOS (Moran et al., 2011).
Medications
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) remains first-line for managing menstrual irregularities and hyperandrogenic symptoms in younger women. For those in whom oestrogen is contraindicated, progestogen-only or cyclic progestogen options are used instead. Metformin is frequently prescribed where insulin resistance is a prominent feature, and it has good evidence for improving cycle regularity, ovulatory function, and metabolic parameters. For women over 45, HRT can be appropriate with careful monitoring and regular clinical review.
GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), are increasingly being used as a short-term support where weight gain and insulin resistance are the most distressing and clinically significant features. These are generally initiated in private practice at present, with the aim of transitioning to metformin once metabolic parameters have improved. If fertility is the primary concern, letrozole has now replaced clomiphene as the preferred first-line agent for ovulation induction, offering better efficacy and a lower risk of multiple pregnancy (Legro et al., 2014).
PMOS and the Menopause Connection
As a menopause advocacy network, it is worth noting that PMOS does not simply disappear at the menopause. The metabolic and cardiovascular risks associated with insulin resistance and elevated androgens persist, and in some respects the perimenopause and menopause can be a particularly challenging time for women with PMOS, as the hormonal shifts of that transition can interact with and amplify existing metabolic dysregulation.
If you have PMOS and are approaching or in perimenopause, it is important that your clinician considers both conditions in parallel rather than in isolation. The symptom overlap between PMOS and perimenopause, including mood changes, fatigue, weight gain, and sleep disturbance, can make it harder to disentangle what is driving what. A holistic, informed approach, ideally with a clinician who understands both conditions well, will serve you considerably better than treating each set of symptoms as a separate entity.
A Final Word
The renaming of PCOS to PMOS is genuinely significant. It has been a long time coming, and it reflects a substantial shift in how the medical community understands this condition. For the millions of women who have spent years trying to get a diagnosis, who have been told their symptoms do not quite add up, or who have received patchy, fragmented care, this change represents a real opportunity for things to improve.
Please do share this update with anyone you know who might find it useful. If it resonates with your own experience, or with someone you care about, we encourage you to take that to your GP, to ask the questions, and to keep asking them until you feel properly heard and properly supported. Education and advocacy, including your own self-advocacy, remain among the most powerful tools we have.
References
AJMC (2026). PCOS renamed PMOS in landmark shift reflecting metabolic and endocrine features. American Journal of Managed Care. Available at: https://www.ajmc.com/view/pcos-renamed-pmos-in-landmark-shift-reflecting-metabolic-and-endocrine-features
Cooney, L.G., Lee, I., Sammel, M.D. and Dokras, A. (2017). High prevalence of moderate and severe depressive and anxiety symptoms in polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Human Reproduction, 32(5), pp.1075-1091. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dex044
Endocrine Society (2026). Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: new name to improve diagnosis and care of condition affecting 170 million women worldwide. Available at: https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2026/pcos-name-change
Goodarzi, M.O., Dumesic, D.A., Chazenbalk, G. and Azziz, R. (2011). Polycystic ovary syndrome: etiology, pathogenesis and diagnosis. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 7(4), pp.219-231. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2010.217
Legro, R.S., Brzyski, R.G., Diamond, M.P. et al. (2014). Letrozole versus clomiphene for infertility in the polycystic ovary syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine, 371, pp.119-129. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1313517
Moran, L.J., Hutchison, S.K., Norman, R.J. and Teede, H.J. (2011). Lifestyle changes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007506.pub3
Pulse Today (2026). UK guidelines to adopt PMOS as new name for PCOS. Available at: https://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/clinical-areas/womens-health-gynaecology-obstetrics/uk-guidelines-to-adopt-pmos-as-new-name-for-pcos/
Rotterdam ESHRE/ASRM-Sponsored PCOS Consensus Workshop Group (2004). Revised 2003 consensus on diagnostic criteria and long-term health risks related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Human Reproduction, 19(1), pp.41-47. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deh098
Teede, H.J., Bahri Khomami, M., Morman, R. et al. (2026). Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process. The Lancet. Published online 12 May 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(26)00717-8
Teede, H., Misso, M., Costello, M. et al. (2018). International evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome 2018. Monash University. Available at: Guideline - Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (MCHRI)