Sameena Rahman, MD, FACOG, on the clinical necessity of the PMOS name change

The transition from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) marks a significant evolution in women’s healthcare. Published in The Lancet on May 12, 2026, the renaming follows a global consensus process involving 56 organizations aimed at correcting a decades-old misnomer.^1,2

Sameena Rahman, MD, FACOG, MSCP, IF, board-certified OB/GYN and certified menopause practitioner, discussed how this shift addresses the systemic nature of the condition and the long-standing issue of patient dismissal.

Correcting the "GYN-Only" misconception

Historically, the term PCOS suggested an isolated ovarian pathology, which often led to fragmented care and significant diagnostic delays. The new PMOS terminology—Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome—specifically highlights the hormonal and metabolic disturbances that define the condition.

“When you think about polycystic ovarian syndrome, one of the issues always has been that it's confined to GYN-terminology. This is an ovarian problem. It's a reproductive issue, when we know it is a full-system metabolic disorder. The way we name things has such important ramifications, not only in how patients view it and how other clinicians view it, but it also has everything in the world to do with research, and how that disorder, disease process, whatever you want to call it, gets funded and not funded,” Rahman stated.

The clinical cost of dismissal

“I lecture about this all the time, that dismissing a patient is harm. We give an oath to do no harm, and as doctors, as ob-gyns, dismissing a patient is harm. So what happens is people think of this as an ovarian pathology, that this is cysts on the ovaries,” she explained.

She shared the experience of a menopausal patient who felt a "reckoning" with the new name after a lifetime of confusion. “For her, this was like a real reckoning, that she had lived her life in so much frustration and dismissal, where clinicians had told her time and time again, ‘Oh, you don't have cysts. There's no way you can have this.’”

Improving longevity through early intervention

The transition to the PMOS name is supported by a 3-year implementation strategy designed to integrate the terminology into electronic health records and international guidelines by 2028. For Rahman, the move is ultimately about recognizing PMOS as a systemic inflammatory condition to improve long-term health outcomes.

“When we just consider it as a GYN-problem, we're missing the whole issue around the fact that this is a systemic issue, that if we don't intervene early, we can actually make the cardiovascular trajectory of a patient much worse. So early intervention is really key to understanding how patients can actually have an improved quality of life, but also longevity,” Rahman said.

By focusing on the "polyendocrine" and "metabolic" components, the new name ensures that the goal remains symptom management to prevent future disease.

References:

1. Fitch J. Global consensus renames PCOS to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS). Contemporary OB/GYN. Published May 12, 2026. Accessed May 14, 2026. https://www.contemporaryobgyn.net/view/global-consensus-renames-pcos-to-polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome-pmos-
2. Teede HJ, Khomami MB, Morman R, et al. Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome: a multistep global consensus process. The Lancet. Published online May 12, 2026. Accessed May 12, 2026. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8/fulltext