The Condition Formerly Known as PCOS Has a New Name

Years and years ago, I started to wonder if I may have PCOS. I have family members with the condition, and at 25, I was beginning to notice acne for the first time. I was losing hair, experiencing frequent headaches…I just felt like something was off.

But when I visited an endocrinologist, he dismissed my concern pretty quickly..and told me he wouldn’t check for ovarian cysts. This surprised me: Based on the name of the condition, I thought this would be an easy way to test for and potentially diagnose PCOS.

But because I didn’t have irregular periods or high levels of androgen (a group of sex hormones), he didn’t recommend checking to see if I had any cysts. Turns out, two out of three of those factors were required for a PCOS diagnosis.

Clearly, PCOS, like so many conditions, doesn’t have a single test that can be administered to secure a super clear-cut diagnostic criteria. And part of getting a diagnosis, of course, is having the information necessary to advocate for yourself. Yet with a name like PCOS, it’s easy to think that this particular condition is just about ovarian cysts. This speaks volumes about the state of women's health: We are denied clear information, simple testing, and, as a result, swift diagnoses.

So when I saw that the name of PCOS is being changed to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, it felt right. The name change was revealed in The Lancet, which includes the following statement on the name change:

“Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), previously named polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), affects one in eight women However, the term PCOS is inaccurate, implying pathological ovarian cysts, obscuring diverse endocrine and metabolic features, and contributing to delayed diagnosis, fragmented care, and stigma, while curtailing research and policy framing.”

This condition notoriously takes a long time to diagnose, with so many women struggling to make sense of their bodies. From physical symptoms like weight gain and acne, to challenges in getting pregnant, PMOD can take a real toll on a woman's life, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Experts hope this change will help them secure diagnoses and in turn effective treatment faster and more seamlessly. 

Because this is more than a new name: It’s a rebrand, and one that feels long overdue.