Why PCOS IS Now PMOS (What It Means In Practical Terms)

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❝Is there anything that’s actually changed with PCOS now being PMOS, or is it just a name change?❞

Yes and yes! That is to say:

• Yes, it is technically just a name change
• Yes, there are expected positive knock-on effects of this change

First, let’s quickly recap what the name change actually is, so that we can talk about why the change was made and what we can expect to see in the category of positive effects resulting from this change:

The name was: polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

The name is now: polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS)

The old name is a little bit misleading, since not only are ovarian cysts not a required symptom, but there isn’t even, on average, an increase in abnormal ovarian cysts.

The new name, in contrast, de-emphasizes that aspect and instead brings attention to the endocrine and metabolic aspects.

This was talked about before, for example in this guest article on our own site: PCOS affects 1 in 8 women worldwide, yet it’s often misunderstood. A name change might help

This is important, because PMOS is linked to infertility, pregnancy complications, acne, excess hair growth, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and reduced quality of life, with metabolic complications occurring earlier and more frequently than in people without the condition.

Almost all of these things have far more to do with the hormonal and metabolic side of things, rather than being anything to do with cysts (which, when they do occur, are also a result of those things, being characterized by disrupted follicle development caused by hormonal signalling disturbances).

As for how this change is expected to help, advocates hope the new terminology will reduce stigma, improve understanding among physicians, encourage more whole-body treatment approaches, and ensure patients with varying symptoms receive better long-term support.

Of these things, probably the “whole-body treatment approaches” are going to have the biggest positive impact on people’s lives.

Want to learn more?

If you will kindly overlook that these articles were written with the old name, then do check out:

• What you need to know about PCOS
• Eat To Avoid (Or Beat) PCOS
• PCOS Repair Protocol – by Tamika Woods

Take care!