PCOS Gets a New Name — PMOS — To Help Women Get to Diagnosis and Treatment More Quickly

When it comes to women’s health concerns, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been particularly challenging. By the numbers, PCOS affects between 10% and 13% of women of reproductive age, yet 70% remain undiagnosed. As alarming is the fact that rates of PCOS have increased by nearly 60% in the past three decades.

To help women get to the right diagnosis and treatment protocol sooner, PCOS received a new name in May 2026 to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).

Since September is PCOS (now PMOS) awareness month in the United States, the team of women’s health providers at Michigan Avenue Primary Care wants to focus on PMOS — why the name change, what the signs are, and how we can treat this common gynecologic condition.

PMOS — a better name for a common problem

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine states it best when it comes to why PCOS transitioned over to PMOS: “For too long, PCOS has been reduced from 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.”

At its core, PMOS is a hormone issue, and that should be the focus — not the potential side effect of ovarian cysts. In fact, some women with PMOS don’t develop cysts at all, but have other symptoms. With PMOS, the focus is on the right issue — the metabolic piece of the puzzle.

In short, with PMOS, hormone signaling in your body causes an excess of androgen hormones, which are the dominant male reproductive hormones. Yet the issue isn’t confined to reproductive hormones, as PMOS is a metabolic condition that’s also associated with insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

To back this up, between 40% and 80% of women with PMOS have obesity, and this isn’t simply coincidence.

Signs of PMOS

Now let’s get into some of the side effects of PMOS, which mostly stem from the excess of androgen hormones. These symptoms include:

• Irregular periods
• Abnormal hair growth on the face and body
• Acne
• Weight gain
• Infertility
• Dark skin patches and skin tags
• Ovarian cysts
• Thinning hair

While not a direct result of PMOS, many women also develop depression or anxiety surrounding the condition thanks to its numerous quality-of-life side effects.

How we diagnose and treat PMOS

If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms we describe above, we want you to come see us so that we can review your symptoms and run some tests. There’s no single test for PMOS, but we can run blood labs to check your hormone levels, which can point us in the right diagnostic direction.

If we find you do have PMOS, there are several ways we can treat the condition, including:

• Hormone medications
• Androgen-blocking medications
• Insulin-sensitizing medications
• Ovulation drugs if you’re trying to conceive

In addition to these treatments, lifestyle changes are also important in managing PMOS, namely losing weight through a healthy diet and exercise.

So, if you suspect you might be dealing with PMOS, we urge you to contact our Chicago clinic, which is located in The Loop, to schedule an appointment.