ovarian syndrome renamed as experts move away from misleading pcos label
4 minute read
robyn vettese, a patient research partner at uofc with lived experience of polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome and endocrinologist jamie benham were photographed in calgary on friday, may 15, 2026.
brent calver/postmedia
advocates hope that rebranding a condition that has affected millions of women worldwide will help with better diagnosis, support and treatment for patients.
polycystic ovary syndrome, commonly known as pcos, will now be called polyendocrine metabolic syndrome, or pmos, after a global effort led by monash university in melbourne, australia.
the condition is characterized by fluctuations in hormones and can affect weight, fertility, and metabolic and mental health.
“this is something that was very long overdue and has been in the works for (six years),” said robyn vettese, patient research partner at the university of calgary. she was diagnosed with the condition four years ago.
jamie benham, a calgary endocrinologist and associate professor at the cumming school of medicine, called the initial name “misleading” and “inaccurate.”
“there are so many people out there who have ovarian cysts who thought they had pcos but didn’t actually meet the criteria, because people with pmos do not have a higher rate of ovarian cysts than others,” she said.
the new name better reflects the “multi-dimensional nature of the condition,” she said, and not only makes it less confusing for those living with it, but also for clinicians who diagnose and manage treatment.
what is pmos?
pmos is a hormonal and metabolic disorder that affects how ovaries function and how the body regulates hormones such as insulin and androgens.
in canada, women diagnosed with pmos have to meet two out of the three criteria:
- irregular menstrual cycles.
- hyperandrogenism, which is the overproduction of testosterone that can lead to acne, baldness or excessive hair growth.
- an increase in the growth of ovarian follicles, which is where eggs develop or a blood test shows high levels of the anti-müllerian hormone, which is produced by follicles.
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common symptoms include irregular periods, difficulty ovulating, acne, excessive facial or body hair, scalp hair thinning, weight fluctuations and/or insulin resistance.
“this is a syndrome that involves multiple aspects, including endocrine health, metabolic health, as well as reproductive health,” benham said.
for a long time, the condition was narrowly defined as a fertility issue, but growing research has shown it is associated with a broader range of health risks, including increased rates of depression and anxiety, eating disorders and a higher likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.
“we also see a lot of metabolic complications,” benham said, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea and more.
“in general, people living with pmos have a decreased health-related quality of life,” she said.
why is pcos no longer used?
the original name is a misidentifier as it inaccurately suggests that ovarian cysts are a defining feature of the condition.
many people with the condition don’t actually have cysts on their ovaries, and instead have enlarged follicles, vettese said.
“it was treated as more of a reproductive, gynecological disorder when it’s really not,” she said.
vettese had been diagnosed with pmos four years ago.
“a very common theme among people with lived experience with pmos is reaching out for help to their health-care provider and getting responses that only have something to do with fertility and reproduction,” she said.
early on in her own diagnosis, vettese visited an endocrinologist, who told her to come back once she decided to get pregnant.
“i had waited a year for this appointment,” she said.
benham said it’s a common story among her patients.
“it’s a misconception that has continued over time, and a lot of the research around pmos has been related to fertility,” she said. “we haven’t looked as much into other things like eating disorders, like depression, like type 2 diabetes screening. so there’s a lot of work to be done to educate clinicians about the broad spectrum, which is where i think the name will be very helpful.”
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how will the new name impact diagnosis and treatment?
right now, diagnosis and treatment remain the same, according to benham.
patients still need to meet two of the three criteria to be diagnosed with the condition, and treatment — which often includes lifestyle management and in some cases, medication — will still be offered.
renaming the condition helps with recognizing that there are more symptoms, she said. in some ways, this could make diagnosis more complicated.
“there are other conditions that can present in a similar way, and so we have to exclude those — so things like thyroid disease or high levels of prolactin or pregnancy, these all can present with similar symptoms,” she said.
birth control, she said, tends to be a first-line medication prescribed to those diagnosed with pmos as it helps manage of many of the symptoms, including irregular periods and excess testosterone, and decreases risk of endometrial cancer.
a common patient experience, according to vettese, is to be diagnosed, given birth control and told to come back when they want to get pregnant.
“a lot of people don’t bother looking for a diagnosis,” she said. “and it’s actually more hurtful to just be dismissed when you do get it.”
benham said she hopes that renaming the condition will be the first step toward better identification, treatment and more funding for research.
“i think that this will have a major impact not only on our ability to diagnose patients and people living with pmos, but also on our ability to increase awareness about the condition,” she said.
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