PCOS to PMOS: Are We Renaming the Syndrome Instead of Rethinking It?

Few conditions in medicine have undergone as many identity changes as what we currently call Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Since Stein and Leventhal first described the condition in 1935, it has appeared under several names—Sclerocystic Ovaries, Polycystic Ovaries, Hyperthecosis Ovarii, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and now, following an international consensus proposal, Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS).

The motivation behind the latest change is understandable. The term “PCOS” is misleading. Many women with the syndrome have neither polycystic ovaries nor ovarian cysts. The disorder affects multiple physiological systems and extends far beyond the reproductive tract.

Yet a fundamental question remains. ...