Why renaming PCOS to PMOS Matters - and what we think about it

In May 2026, after more than a decade of global research, patient advocacy, and clinical consensus, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome officially became Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, or PMOS.

The announcement was published in The Lancet and presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology this morning. 56 leading academic, clinical, and patient organizations were involved. 14,360 people with the condition contributed. 87 out of 90 expert voters supported the new name immediately.

Calling a complex neuroendocrine & metabolic disorder “polycystic” was misleading. It implied the problem was ovarian cysts, when in reality most women with this condition don’t have abnormal cysts. What is more common is that women with PCOS may have many immature follicles, which may show up as small cysts in imaging. The prior emphasis on ovarian appearance implied the main pathology in the reproductive system, rather than the whole-body condition it truly is.