PCOS HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN RENAMED PMOS: POLYENDOCRINE METABOLIC OVARIAN SYNDROME

This is one of the biggest shifts we’ve seen in women’s health in years...for decades, women were handed a diagnosis that centred around “cysts” on the ovaries, when the reality is that this condition has always been far bigger than the ovaries alone.

The new name finally reflects what clinicians and researchers have been trying to explain for years!

Around 1 in 8 women are affected globally, yet the condition remains massively underdiagnosed and misunderstood

Some estimates suggest up to 70% of women may not even realise they have it

This renaming process took 14 years, involved more than 50 international medical organisations, and incorporated input from over 22,000 patients and clinicians globally. 

The term ‘PCOS’ was misleading from the start because many women diagnosed with it don’t even have ovarian cysts.

Science is finally catching up to what women’s bodies have been communicating the entire time. This is a complex endocrine and metabolic condition involving insulin, hormones, inflammation, ovulation, nervous system function, cardiovascular risk, mental health, fertility, and long-term metabolic health

For years, women with PCOS have been dismissed into a ‘fertility-only’ or ‘weight loss’ conversation.

The new name: PMOS, acknowledges what women have been saying all along: this is a multi-system condition. 

Not “just lose weight” or “go on the pill” dismissal.

It’s my hope that the treatment plans will catch up to how we’ve been helping women with PCOS in functional medicine for years... 

Which addresses: 

• insulin resistance and glucose regulation
• metabolic health and muscle mass
• nervous system regulation
• inflammation and androgen excess
• long-term cardiovascular and hormonal health
• early intervention and prevention
• functional + comprehensive testing

Because the female body is one that requires a ‘whole-body’ conversation. 

If you suspect you have PMOS/PCOS, please do not let your doctor run one testosterone test, tell you everything is “normal,” and send you home.

This condition is metabolic, hormonal, inflammatory, and endocrine-related.

You need a FULL picture.

Here are some of the key things I’d want women advocating for and investigating...

Lab work worth looking at: 

Fasting insulin - insulin resistance is one of the biggest drivers behind PMOS, even in women who are ‘lean.’

• HbA1c + fasting glucose
• Full androgen panel
• Including: free testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S, androstenedione - androgen excess is one of the hallmark signs
• Ovulation + cycle assessment
• Thyroid panel: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, thyroid antibodies - hypothyroidism and PMOS symptoms overlap constantly.
• Inflammatory markers: hs-CRP can help identify underlying systemic inflammation.
• Lipids + cardiovascular markers - women with PMOS have a significantly increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease long term.

Evidence-backed treatments for PMOS management: 

• Strength training + building muscle: muscle is one of the most powerful tools we have for improving insulin sensitivity and glucose regulation.(PMID: 26587847, 26406234, 33467251.)
• Blood sugar regulation through adequate protein, fibre, and low GI meals + inositol supplementation. (PMID: 20484445, 23999280, 32621748, 38163998)
• Nervous system regulation: chronically elevated cortisol worsens insulin resistance, inflammation, ovulation dysfunction + androgen imbalance (PMID: 25287137, 36944940, 38818503.)
• Improving sleep quality: even short-term sleep deprivation has been shown to worsen insulin sensitivity and metabolic dysfunction in women with PCOS (PMID: 29440941, 35815469, 36176474.)

You can manage and even be completely symptom free with PMOS when you’ve got the right treatment, data + protocols

Massive shifts can be seen with simple lifestyle interventions

The first step is to advocate for yourself (save this blog to take with you to your next appointment). 

References:

• Teede HJ et al. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process. (The Lancet)
• European Society of Endocrinology announcement, 2026 (Endocrine)
• Monash-led international consensus collaboration (EurekAlert!)