June 2026
PCOS renamed to better reflect multisystem condition
By Sasha Ellery BM BCh
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) will now be known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), following a multistep global consensus process published in The Lancet.
Professor Helena Teede, lead author and Director of the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, Monash University, Melbourne, said the renaming process was co-led by patients and an international steering committee comprising health professionals and people with the condition. She explained why the previous term for the disorder – which affects one in eight women – was inaccurate.
‘There is no increase in abnormal ovarian cysts and [it] isn’t a primary ovarian disorder. [PCOS] fails to encompass the broader features of the condition,’ she said. These features included endocrine, metabolic, reproductive, psychological and dermatological manifestations.
The process built on previous survey work with two further global surveys and online consensus workshops. Participants prioritised a name that supported care and research, while being scientifically accurate, clear, culturally appropriate, feasible to implement and less stigmatising.
A new symptom-based name was supported by 86% of people with PCOS and 71% of healthcare professionals and was preferred over a generic name or retaining the PCOS acronym with different wording.
The final term, PMOS, was selected because it captured the syndrome’s polyendocrine, metabolic and ovarian dysfunction, while removing the misleading reference to cysts. In the final workshop, all participants supported the new name except two, who also did not support a name change.
Professor Teede explained how the new term could help clinicians move more quickly to meaningful discussions with patients.
‘We will not need to spend the first five minutes of a consultation unpacking why an adolescent, for example, has a diagnosis of PCOS when she has no increased risk of abnormal ovarian cysts, the condition is not primarily an ovarian disorder and the diagnostic criteria in adolescence do not recommend assessment of the ovaries on ultrasound,’ she told Medicine Today.
‘Instead, we can start by explaining it as an endocrine, or hormonal, disorder in which chemical messages affect many parts of the body, with broad implications that are largely treatable and preventable. The conversation can then focus on the endocrine effects, including skin and hair changes, as well as the metabolic, reproductive, ovarian and psychological impacts.’
The authors outlined a three-year transition plan to support the use of the new name in clinical care, research and education. The plan included patient and clinician resources, co-ordinated communication, integration into electronic health records and engagement with international classification bodies, such as WHO, on the International Classification of Diseases adoption.
Professor Teede said PMOS resources were available through the Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation (https://www.mchri.org.au/guidelines-resources/community/
pmos-resources-2/), and patients should be encouraged to use reputable, evidence-based resources, including the freely available, government-funded AskPMOS app.