PCOS rebranded: Introducing PMOS

If you think you have PCOS… no, you don’t anymore. 

Well, you do but… as of May 2026 this syndrome is no longer known as “Polycystic Ovary Syndrome” (PCOS): it’s now known as “Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome” (PMOS). The Fruitful Hollow is taking a closer look at what this change means for the diagnosis and care of over 170 million women worldwide. We’ve done the research so you don’t have to; so let’s dive in!

What’s in a name?

This new name was formed after a 14-year global collaboration between experts and those with lived experience. The International PCOS Network described this as the largest initiative to rename a medical condition. The change was published by The Lancet on May 12, 2026. The Endocrine Society remarked, “For too long, the name [PCOS] reduced a complex, long-term hormonal or endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about ‘cysts’ and a focus on ovaries. This contributed to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment.” Lubna Pal, MBBS, MS, a reproductive endocrinologist at Yale Medicine, describes the shift as moving from “microscopic” to “telescopic” in view. “This is about changing our lens. This condition has multidimensional implications”.

My PCOS story

I was formally diagnosed with PCOS in 2019 when my fiancé (now husband) and I began to learn the Creighton method of charting. I quickly learned that this syndrome affects much more than my reproductive health. I was told over the following years that I have “insulin resistant PCOS”, which brought me a new understanding that my condition was not limited to below the belt; it truly affected my whole body. I had a double ovarian wedge resection in 2024 and although the surgery never led to conception, it has made an incredible difference to my own health and cycle regularity. My surgeon took photos during surgery and it was truly validating to know that my condition is not mental; it’s legitimate, concrete, and manifests in multiple ways. Along with oversized ovaries, my personal experience mirrors several markers of PMOS as discussed further below. 

Multisystem health impacts

The Lancet states, “Features [of PMOS] can be metabolic (ie. obesity, dysglycaemia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and sleep apnoea), reproductive (ovulatory disturbances, irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, pregnancy complications, and endometrial cancer), psychological (depression, anxiety, poor quality of life, and eating disorders), and dermatological (acne, alopecia, and hirsutism). BMI is generally higher in people with PCOS than in those without the condition, and contributes to its severity. Overall, PCOS has multisystem health impacts and represents a growing health and economic burden.”

What does NaPro say about it?

We reached out to several NaProTechnology doctors to get their thoughts on the change and what it means for women with the syndrome. Dr. Monique Rubero, MD, FACOG (naturalwomenshealth.com) remarked “It’s really just a shift in terminology… as a root-based practice, we have always looked to the underlying cause of symptoms, which leads to investigating adrenal, ovarian and thyroid-based causes of irregular cycles. PCOS/PMOS is the adrenal/ovarian dysfunction leading to irregularities in ovulation and hormonal dysfunction.”

NaProTechnology always seeks to find the root cause of issues. I asked Dr. Rubero if she thinks this name change will force other women’s health providers to shift their approach to treating PMOS. She responded, “Possibly… but the criteria they use for diagnosis is unchanged… I tend to identify PCOS in patients much more frequently with the observation of cycles and using optimal instead of traditional ranges for lab values.” 

Dr. Naomi Whittaker, MD states “A name shapes a treatment approach. If clinicians believe this is a disease of the ovaries, they treat the ovaries. If clinicians understand this is a multisystem endocrine and metabolic disorder, they ask a different and better question: what is driving the dysregulation, and can it be corrected? The PMOS rename is, at its core, a call to treat root causes. Insulin resistance is not a side effect of PCOS. For many patients, it is the engine. Elevated androgens, disrupted ovulation, and anovulatory cycles are outputs. Address the metabolic drivers, and the ovulatory function often follows.”

So what next?

You may see both PCOS and PMOS used interchangeably for a while. There is an approximately three-year transition period for the term. In 2028, PMOS will officially take effect according to the diagnostic criteria. As we get closer to 2028, we are likely to see the shift in terminology not only in medical practices and insurance companies, but also in our religious organizations/offices. Here at The Fruitful Hollow we are officially moving to the new term at the release of this article. 

What does this name change mean for us? Dr. Whittaker says, “For anyone living with this diagnosis, nothing changes today. Your diagnosis is valid. Your records are valid. But pay attention to what just happened. A global panel of experts looked at the most common hormonal condition in women and concluded the name had been pointing at the wrong organ the entire time. The "cyst" was never the disease. The metabolism was. And a name built on the wrong target tends to produce care built on the wrong target: decades of quieting the cycle instead of investigating what broke it.”

The Fruitful Hollow sees this name change as an exciting step for women’s health and for many in our community. We’ve always encouraged our readers and followers to advocate for yourself; hopefully this name change eases some of our own responsibility when it comes to care and understanding. We are praying for all of those with PMOS. 

Sources: 

Endocrine Society (2026, May 12). Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: New name to improve diagnosis and care of condition affecting 170 million women worldwide. https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2026/pcos-name-change   

Teede, Khomami, Mormon, Laven, Joham, Costello, Patil, Rees, Berry, Cree, Zhao, Norman, Dokras, & Piltonen. (2026). Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process. The Lancet, 407(10545), 2329-2339. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8  

Yale Medicine (2026, June 23). PCOS is renamed PMOS: What you need to know. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/pcos-is-renamed-pmos-what-you-need-to-know

Whittaker, N. (2026, June 18). PCOS is now PMOS: Because most women never had ovarian cysts. RRM Academy.  https://rrmacademy.org/commentary/pcos-is-now-pmos-most-women-never-had-ovarian-cysts/