PCOS to PMOS: A long-awaited change

Welcome back to another Contemporary OB/GYN, Contemporary Pediatrics, and Patient Care Online Special Report series. In this episode titled "PCOS to PMOS: A long awaited change," moderator Heather Appelbaum, MD, FACOG, discusses polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome with Melanie Cree, MD, PhD; and Michelle M. Maresca, MD.

Appelbaum opens by explaining that on May 12, 2026, The Lancet published a global consensus health policy report renaming polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). The change followed input from more than 14,000 patients and professionals across academic and clinical organizations worldwide. Cree, who serves on the board of the Androgen Excess PCOS Society and helped shape the renaming process, explains that the new name better reflects patients' lived experience and moves the condition out of a purely reproductive silo. She points to data from the multi-site Calico trial showing that clinicians check girls without excess weight for cardiometabolic disease less than half the time, despite 45% of women developing metabolic problems by age 40 compared with 16% who face infertility — evidence, she argues, that the old name skewed attention toward reproductive concerns at the expense of lifelong metabolic risk. Cree also notes that adolescent diagnosis never relies on ovarian ultrasound, making "polycystic" a persistent point of confusion for parents who expect imaging.

Appelbaum agrees that the reproductive and gynecologic aspects remain important to patients but argues metabolic well-being deserves equal footing, and admits the new terminology is still catching up with her own vocabulary after years of saying "PCOS." Cree lays out the transition timeline: a 3-year rollout, ICD-10 codes and WHO classification expected by early 2027, and updated international PMOS guidelines targeted for 2028. Maresca adds that she is glad the mental health dimension of the condition is finally getting attention alongside the endocrine and metabolic features. The panel agrees that reframing the diagnosis should help clinicians and patients grasp the condition's full scope rather than fixating on ovarian cysts alone.

In the next episode, "Diagnosing PMOS in Adolescents: Criteria, Ultrasound Limits, and Red Flags," Cree breaks down the three-criteria adolescent diagnostic threshold, explains why ovarian ultrasound doesn't apply to teens, and walks through what puts a patient in the "at risk" category.