PCOS has a new name: Here’s why experts say it matters for millions of women
A global medical consensus has renamed the condition PMOS, saying the old term misunderstood a complex hormonal disorder affecting one in eight women
The condition, previously known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), will now be called Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) In a landmark global effort led by Monash University, one of the world’s most common women’s health conditions has been renamed to better reflect its complex, multisystem nature. The condition, previously known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), will now be called Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS), a change experts say corrects decades of misunderstanding that reduced the disorder to just “ovarian cysts.”
The renaming, published in The Lancet, follows 14 years of global collaboration involving clinicians, researchers, patient groups and women living with the condition. Experts say the new name reflects the condition’s broader impact across the endocrine, metabolic and reproductive systems, and could improve how it is diagnosed, explained and treated.
What was known as PCOS affects around one in eight women globally, or more than 170 million women, and is associated with a wide spectrum of symptoms including irregular or absent menstrual cycles, infertility, pregnancy complications, excess hair growth, acne, anxiety, depression, weight gain, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Why was there a need for renaming
“For too long, the name reduced a complex, long-term endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about ‘cysts’ and a narrow focus on the ovaries. This contributed to delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment,” said Professor Helena Teede, Director of the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation and president of the International Society of Endocrinology.
Prof Teede, who led the renaming process, said decades of research have shown that the condition does not involve abnormal ovarian cysts. “What we now know is that there is no increase in abnormal cysts on the ovary. Instead, there are arrested follicles that may appear cyst-like on ultrasound. The previous name obscured the true complexity of the condition,” she said.
Normally, during each menstrual cycle, several follicles start growing in the ovary. One becomes the dominant follicle. It matures fully and releases an egg (ovulation). The remaining follicles naturally regress. In what was traditionally called PCOS, that maturation process gets disrupted. Instead of one follicle fully developing, many follicles stall midway. They remain small and immature rather than progressing to ovulation. These are called arrested follicles. On an ultrasound, these immature follicles often appear as multiple small round fluid-filled structures around the ovary. For years, they were mistaken for “cysts,” which is one reason the term PCOS was misleading.
“While Monash-led international guidelines have advanced care, changing the name was the next critical step toward improving long-term recognition and outcomes,” Prof Teede added.
How India played a significant role in reclassification
India was closely involved in the global consensus-building process. “India had significant engagement in this process,” Prof Teede told The Indian Express. Dr Madhuri Patil, president-elect of the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction and one of the clinicians involved, said the renaming involved “more than 22,000 survey responses, multiple workshops, women with lived experience, health professionals and 56 patient and professional societies across the world.”
She noted that the old name focussed narrowly on ovarian features while ignoring the condition’s endocrine, metabolic, reproductive and dermatological manifestations. “PMOS is more accurate because it reflects the genetic origins and diverse clinical features of the condition,” she said.
Why terminology matters
The naming process also considered cultural sensitivities across countries. “The term ‘reproductive’ was intentionally avoided after extensive global consultation, including women from different cultural contexts. In some societies, a strong focus on fertility can increase stigma or shame, particularly where a woman’s social value is closely tied to childbearing,” Dr Patil explained.
Why this matters for India
The change carries particular significance for India, where experts estimate the prevalence of the condition to be between 16 and 18 per cent.
Dr Patil said the inclusion of “metabolic” in the new name is especially relevant given India’s high rates of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. “Even adolescents with PCOS can show metabolic abnormalities, though the incidence rises with age,” she added.
She pointed to the “thrifty genotype” hypothesis — the idea that populations historically exposed to cycles of food scarcity evolved to store energy more efficiently, increasing susceptibility to obesity and Type 2 diabetes in modern environments of calorie abundance.
She added that the term polyendocrine better captures the condition’s effects beyond the ovaries, including disruptions involving the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, insulin regulation and pancreatic function, adipose tissue and obesity-related inflammation and adrenal hormone production. “PMOS reflects the dysfunction of multiple hormonal systems, not just irregular ovulation. It captures the full biological complexity of the disorder,” Dr Patil said.
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