05/13/2026
𝐏𝐂𝐎𝐒 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐌𝐎𝐒.
After a global consensus process led by 56 academic, clinical, and patient organizations — published May 12, 2026 in The Lancet — polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS) will now be known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).
“[PCOS] is inaccurate and misleading, obscuring the condition’s multisystem endocrine and metabolic features, reinforcing stigma, delaying diagnosis, and hindering effective clinical care, research, and policy alignment,” for the 170 million women affected globally, published The Lancet Group.
Up to 70% of people with the condition are undiagnosed for what is actually 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡-𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮, 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞-𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢 𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
Karen Tang, MD, MPH commented, “It’s in the family of diabetes. Diabetes gets so much funding and research and innovations every year, PCOS gets virtually nothing. So, maybe people will take it more seriously if they don’t think of it as just a lady disease.”
♾️ 85% of people with PCOS, now PMOS, have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes
♾️ BMI is higher in these patients and contributes to severity, but lean women (BMI ≤25 kg/m2) can have PMOS
♾️ PMOS presents with metabolic, cardiovascular, reproductive, psychological, and even dermatological features
Diagnosis still requires two of three criteria: ovulatory dysfunction, hyperandrogenism (high testosterone, acne, hirsutism), and polycystic-appearing ovaries on ultrasound.
