Polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS, has been renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS. 

PMOS impacts an estimated 170 million people worldwide and is one of the most common hormonal disorders experienced by women, trans men and nonbinary people assigned female at birth. Black people are more likely to have PMOS and are more likely to have severe forms. 

Endocrinologist Helena Teede spearheaded the effort. “It was very clear that the name was inaccurate,” Teede told Live Science, a popular science news website. 

The original name referenced small fluid-filled sacs on the ovaries observed when researchers first identified the condition in the 1930s. The sacs are not cysts. Instead, they are unerupted follicles — structures containing eggs. Not everyone with the condition has these sacs.

“Renaming this condition is more than semantics; it’s about finally recognizing the full reality of what patients experience,” Melanie Cree, one of two pediatric endocrinologists involved in the renaming effort, said in a news release.  

PMOS can cause irregular periods, no periods, infertility, weight gain, acne, extra facial and body hair, and hair loss. The new name is meant to emphasize the way the condition impacts everything from hormones to heart health. 

Researchers and medical professionals, including Cree, hope that the new name will help promote earlier and more accurate diagnosis, as well as encourage a more holistic view of patient health. 

“For too long, the narrow definition of PCOS has overlooked its metabolic and hormonal complexity, leaving many patients undiagnosed or misunderstood,” she said.