PCOS Renamed to PMOS by Global Consensus

Researchers announced on Tuesday at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague that polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder affecting an estimated 170 million women worldwide and the leading cause of infertility, will now be known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS.

The name change, detailed in a report published simultaneously in The Lancet, stems from a global consensus effort led by clinicians, researchers, and patient advocates. It aims to address longstanding issues with the original name, which emphasizes ovarian cysts that are not always present and can confuse patients and doctors. "The name polycystic ovary syndrome often leads women and their clinicians to mistakenly associate it with ovarian cysts, which are not necessarily present in every patient," wrote Dr. Terhi Piltonen of the University of Oulu in Finland in a research letter in JAMA Internal Medicine. Piltonen served as lead author on the Lancet paper.

The old terminology has contributed to delayed diagnoses and fragmented care by focusing on reproductive aspects rather than the condition's broader hormonal and metabolic effects, according to the researchers. Women with PMOS...