Polycystic ovary syndrome is being renamed PMOS, a change experts and patients hope will improve diagnosis, treatment and awareness of wider symptoms.
Polycystic ovary syndrome, a chronic hormonal condition estimated to affect about 170 million women worldwide, is being renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome after years of debate over whether its old name misrepresented the illness.
The new name, shortened to PMOS, was published in The Lancet and announced Tuesday at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague, according to CBC News. The change is intended to signal that the condition is not only about the ovaries or fertility, but also about hormones, metabolism and a wide range of symptoms that can affect daily life.
Patients and Canadian experts who spoke with CBC said they hope the shift will lead to earlier diagnosis, broader treatment and more recognition of symptoms that have often been overlooked. The condition can involve irregular or disrupted menstrual cycles, infertility, excessive facial hair and mental health issues. It is also associated with acne or oily skin, hair thinning, anxiety, depression, eating disorders and difficulty becoming pregnant.
“It’s very exciting for patients with PMOS because they will have better care. They will know and understand their disease better,” Donna Vine, principal investigator for the PCOS Together research and community outreach program at the University of Alberta, told CBC. “With 30 or 40 years of research, we’ve realized that this is more about hormones and metabolism, not just about the ovary.”
The old name has long been criticized because the condition does not actually involve ovarian cysts, experts told CBC. Dr. Roland Antaki, an obstetrician, gynecologist and fertility specialist at the University of Montreal’s Health Centre, said the structures seen in ovaries are follicles, not cysts. Follicles are small fluid-filled sacs that help support egg growth; in people with PMOS, they may not develop normally and can be linked to hormone changes that contribute to irregular periods, acne or excess hair growth.
In Canada, diagnosis is based on meeting two of three criteria: irregular menstrual cycles; hyperandrogenism, or excess testosterone that can lead to acne, baldness or increased hair growth; and either ultrasound evidence of increased ovarian follicle growth or a blood test showing high levels of anti-müllerian hormone, which is produced by follicles.
The revised name also highlights metabolic risks. CBC cited experts saying PMOS can be linked with obesity, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, abnormal glucose or lipid levels, sleep apnea, heart disease and endometrial cancer.
For some patients, the name change is also about being seen beyond fertility. Sankirthana Dyapa, a McMaster University student diagnosed four years ago, told CBC the previous name helped frame the condition mainly as a reproductive issue, even though symptoms such as acne and excessive hair growth affected her self-esteem and quality of life.
The practical impact of the renaming will depend on how quickly clinicians, researchers and patient resources adopt PMOS in everyday use. Advocates say the hope is that a more accurate name will make the condition easier to understand — and harder to dismiss.
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