Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Has a New Name: What You Need to Know
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal conditions affecting women of reproductive age.
And now it has a new name: PMOS, or Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome.
The change became official on May 12, 2026, in the medical journal The Lancet.
An international consensus process brought together more than 22,000 people, including patients, physicians, and researchers from around the world.
To explain what this change means, we spoke with Dr. Jorge Michel, a reproductive medicine specialist with more than 20 years of clinical and academic experience in fertility, reproductive endocrinology, and women’s health.
Dr. Michel is Director of CERFERTIL and a professor at the University of Guadalajara, with a special interest in PCOS/PMOS, infertility, and bioethics.
His current work focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of PMOS, its metabolic implications, and the international discussion surrounding its new name.
He is also particularly interested in strengthening Latin American and Spanish-speaking representation within global reproductive medicine.
What Is PMOS Really?
For decades, PCOS was thought to be primarily a problem involving “cysts” on the ovaries.
But those cysts are not actually pathological cysts. They are immature follicles that do not fully develop.
The new name seeks to correct that misunderstanding:
PMOS is a hormonal and metabolic condition that affects much more than the ovaries.
It can also affect metabolism, the skin, weight, and even mental health.
Diagnosis is based on a combination of three factors:
- Ovulation abnormalities
- Elevated levels of male hormones (hyperandrogenism)
- Ovarian morphology
A person only needs to meet two of these three criteria to receive a diagnosis.
As Dr. Jorge Michel explains: “You don’t need to have cysts to say that you have PMOS.”
A Much More Common Condition Than You Might Think
PMOS affects 1 in 8 women worldwide, or more than 170 million people, according to the consensus published in The Lancet and confirmed by the Endocrine Society.
But the more concerning statistic is this:
The World Health Organization estimates that up to 70% of cases remain undiagnosed.
This happens, in large part, because symptoms can be mistaken for other conditions—or simply normalized for years:
- Irregular or absent periods
- Persistent acne in adulthood
- Excessive hair growth on the face, chest, or back
- Hair loss with a male-pattern distribution
- Darkened, thickened patches of skin on the neck or underarms
- Difficulty losing weight
- Difficulty becoming pregnant
If you recognize two or more of these symptoms, it is worth talking with your doctor.
Many women go years without a diagnosis simply because no one connected the dots.
It Is Not Just a Reproductive Health Issue
Dr. Jorge Michel, a Mexican gynecologist specializing in reproductive medicine and General Director of CERFERTIL in Guadalajara, puts it this way:
“We should not treat only the ovaries; we should treat the patient as a whole.”
That comprehensive approach has two dimensions that are often overlooked.
The First Is Metabolic
Insulin resistance is a central feature of PMOS and is associated with a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. That is why management now includes monitoring glucose, blood pressure, and lipid levels—not just hormones.
“We also need to talk about mental health,” says Dr. Michel.
The Second Is Mental Health
Anxiety and depression are significantly more common among women with this condition.
International guidelines now recommend evaluating mental health as part of treatment.
And not everything revolves around ovulation in an obvious way.
“Having regular periods does not guarantee that you are ovulating,” Dr. Michel warns.
Ovulatory dysfunction can occur even in cycles that appear normal—something many women discover only when they begin trying to become pregnant.
And while PMOS can cause infertility because of a lack of ovulation, effective treatments are available to induce ovulation.
As Dr. Michel explains:
“Having PMOS does not mean that you cannot become pregnant… we have effective treatments to induce ovulation.”
We invite you to watch the interview to better understand what this change means and how it may affect your diagnosis—or that of someone close to you.
How Is PMOS Managed?
There is no single treatment plan.
Treatment is tailored to each patient’s symptoms and to whether or not she is trying to become pregnant.
However, international guidelines agree on several key areas:
Lifestyle: The First Line of Management
Nutrition and physical activity are the foundation of treatment, especially when insulin resistance or excess weight is present.
This is not about restrictive diets. It is about sustainable changes that can improve both metabolic health and hormonal symptoms.
Medications for Insulin Resistance
When lifestyle changes are not enough, a doctor may consider treatments that improve insulin sensitivity, as well as supplements that have also shown metabolic and hormonal benefits.
Hormonal Birth Control
For patients who are not trying to become pregnant, hormonal contraceptives can help regulate the menstrual cycle and reduce symptoms such as acne or excessive hair growth.
Weight Management Medications
This includes newer generations of GLP-1 medications, which international guidelines now recognize as a complementary option to lifestyle changes for patients with PMOS and elevated weight.
Ovulation Induction
For people trying to become pregnant who have ovulatory dysfunction, effective treatments are available to induce ovulation, as Dr. Michel explains.
Mental Health Support
Mental health support should be considered an integral part of treatment, not an add-on, because anxiety and depression are more common among women with PMOS.
The most important point:
Management should be individualized and guided by a healthcare professional, taking into account which symptoms have the greatest impact on each patient’s quality of life.
A Debate That Remains Open
The name change is not without controversy.
Dr. Michel, together with colleagues from Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and the United States, published a letter in The Lancet questioning aspects of the international consensus process.
Their central argument:
Changing the name alone does not solve one of the biggest challenges associated with PMOS: the enormous clinical and biological diversity of the condition across different populations.
Among the voices that, according to Dr. Michel, had limited representation in the global process are those of millions of Latina women living with this condition.
The Conversation Comes to Boston This September
The PCOS/PMOS Awareness Symposium 2026 will take place on Saturday, September 19, at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, located at 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur in Boston.
The event is organized by PCOS Challenge and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School.
The event is open to the public with advance registration at pcoschallenge.org/symposium/boston and will include a special session in Spanish led by Dr. Michel.
Massachusetts legislators Sen. Liz Miranda and Rep. Sam Montaño will also participate. Both are members of the state’s Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.
At My Health Fair, we remain committed to bringing clear, reliable health information in Spanish to Massachusetts’ Latino community—because understanding your body is the first step toward taking care of it.
