Overview
- A global consensus published in The Lancet has renamed Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) to reflect broader endocrine and metabolic drivers.
- Current diagnostic rules for adults remain the same for now, and experts have proposed a roughly three‑year transition to update clinical guidelines, disease coding and education.
- Recent research links PMOS or persistent menstrual irregularity with higher risks of diabetes, hypertension, stroke and earlier cardiometabolic disease, prompting calls for routine metabolic screening.
- The condition affects an estimated 170 million people worldwide and may leave up to 70% undiagnosed, a gap that advocates say the removal of 'cystic' could help narrow by reducing stigma and misdiagnosis.
- Clinicians and patients are urging coordinated, multidisciplinary care and repeat metabolic tests such as fasting glucose, HbA1c, lipid panels and blood pressure monitoring as systems adopt the new name.