PCOS❌

PMOS✅

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.

Using iterative global surveys (with responses from 14, 360 people with PCOS and multidisciplinary health professionals from all world regions), modified Delphi methods, nominal group technique workshops, and marketing and implementation analyses, we identified principles prioritising scientific accuracy, clarity, stigma avoidance, cultural appropriateness, and implementation feasibility. An accurate new name was prioritised over retaining the PCOS acronym or a generic name.

Implementation approaches prioritised evolution rather than transformation. Preferred terms were polyendocrine, metabolic, and ovarian, reflecting the condition's multisystem pathophysiology, and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome was the consensus new name. Accuracy was improved by omitting cysts and by capturing endocrine, metabolic, and ovarian dysfunction. A co-designed global implementation strategy, including a transition period, education, and alignment with health systems and disease classification, is under way.

Background and rationale

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects 170 million women during their reproductive years alone.1 Following exclusion of other disorders, the condition is diagnosed based on adults (aged ≥20 years) meeting at least two of the following International Guideline criteria: (1) oligo-anovulation, (2) clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism, and (3) polycystic ovaries on ultrasound or elevated anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH).

Source: The Lancet Journal

Esther Bethel