Blog / PCOS got a new name. Here's what that actually means.
Same condition. Same diagnosis. Different, more accurate name.
If you've been diagnosed with PCOS, or think you might have it, you may have started seeing a different term: PMOS, short for Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. Here's the short version of what happened and why.
"Polycystic ovary syndrome" put the focus on ovarian cysts — but people with the condition don't actually have more abnormal cysts than anyone else. What shows up on an ultrasound is a result of irregular ovulation, not the cause of the condition. The name pointed at the wrong organ for what's actually a whole-body hormonal and metabolic condition.
If you were diagnosed with PCOS, that diagnosis still stands. Same criteria, same condition — just a name that better reflects what's actually going on, decided after a 14-year international process involving over 22,000 patients and clinicians.