A condition affecting 1 in 8 women just got renamed after decades of confusion and misdiagnosis

It’s not often that a serious medical condition gets renamed, but that’s the case now for a condition that impacts one in eight women. Polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal disorder long known as PCOS, will now be called PMOS – short for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome. The new name, announced Tuesday at the European Congress of Endocrinology and published in leading medical journal The Lancet, aims to more accurately describe the syndrome and make diagnosis easier for people who suffer from it. A group of specialists who worked to rename the condition criticized its longstanding name as inaccurate, explaining that misunderstandings about its features led to delayed diagnosis and inadequate care, as well as interfering with research. “What we now know is that there is actually no increase in abnormal cysts on the ovary, and the diverse features of the condition were often unappreciated,” said Monash University Professor Helena Teede, an Australian clinical researcher and endocrinologist who spearheaded the change. The hormonal disorder’s new name puts the focus on “endocrine, metabolic, and ovarian dysfunction” – three major areas of symptoms for sufferers. The name change is the result of a 14-year-long worldwide effort that collected input from more than 50 organizations and 14,000 people with the condition. The new name for PCOS will be officially implemented in a 2028 update to international guidelines for treatment of the disorder. “While international guidelines have advanced awareness and care, a name change was the next critical step towards recognition and improvement in the long-term impacts of this condition,” Teede said. Understanding PCOS People who suffer from PCOS often have unusually high levels of androgen hormones like testosterone – a hallmark of the endocrine disorder. Those hormonal imbalances can disrupt ovulation, cause unpredictable and especially painful periods, and lead to fertility problems in PCOS sufferers. The new name for PCO