PCOS renamed PMOS in largest medical name change

After more than a decade of global research and patient advocacy, the condition long known as polycystic ovary syndrome has been officially renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, or PMOS, in what researchers describe as the largest medical name change in history. The shift, published in The Lancet, aims to correct a misleading label that experts say has contributed to widespread misdiagnosis, delayed care and unnecessary stigma affecting an estimated 170 million women worldwide.

The original name focused on ovarian cysts, but researchers now say that terminology was fundamentally inaccurate. The so-called cysts are actually underdeveloped egg follicles tied to hormonal dysfunction, and many patients with the condition do not have them at all. The new name reflects the disorder's true scope as a multisystem hormonal and metabolic condition involving insulin resistance, elevated androgens, inflammation and cardiovascular risk, not merely a reproductive issue. Up to 70 percent of affected individuals currently remain undiagnosed, according to the research.

The renaming process, led by endocrinologist Helena Teede of Monash University, took 14 years and incorporated...