by Rainier Dennis D. Bautista, MD
If you or someone in your family has been told they have PCOS — Polycystic Ovary Syndrome — you may have heard that the name is changing. In May 2026, an international group of clinicians, researchers, professional organizations, and people living with the condition formally renamed it Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, or PMOS.
It’s a mouthful. But the reasoning behind the change matters, especially for our community.
Why change the name at all? For decades, the name PCOS placed a lot of attention on the ovaries and, specifically, on so-called “cysts.” But the characteristic ovarian appearance associated with this condition involves numerous small follicles, not the abnormal ovarian cysts that the word “polycystic” may lead people to imagine. In fact, women with the condition do not appear to have an increased prevalence of abnormal ovarian cysts.
The old name also did not capture how much more there is to the condition than the ovaries. What we now call PMOS is a complex hormonal and metabolic condition that can affect many aspects of health, including:
– Menstrual cycles and fertility
– Skin and hair, including acne, excess hair growth, and scalp hair thinning
– The way the body regulates blood sugar
– Cholesterol and blood pressure
– Mental health, including depression and anxiety
Insulin resistance is an important feature of PMOS, although it is not present or measurable in the same way in every person. More importantly for routine care, women with PMOS have an increased risk of impaired glucose regulation and type 2 diabetes regardless of their weight. PMOS is also associated with cardiovascular risk factors, which is why blood pressure, cholesterol, and other metabolic risks deserve attention along with reproductive health.
The new name is intended to reflect this broader picture. “Polyendocrine” emphasizes the involvement of multiple hormonal systems. “Metabolic” recognizes the important metabolic features of the condition. “Ovarian” remains because ovarian function is still part of the syndrome — just not the whole picture.
How common is it — and why it matters for our community PMOS is estimated to affect about 1 in 8 women, making it one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting women of reproductive age.
For Filipino women in Hawaiʻi, the metabolic side of the condition deserves particular attention. Studies of Filipino Americans, including research involving participants in Hawaiʻi, have found a high burden of type 2 diabetes. Research also suggests that Filipino Americans, like several other Asian populations, can develop type 2 diabetes at lower body mass indexes than might traditionally be associated with diabetes risk.
That does not mean every Filipino woman with PMOS will develop diabetes, nor does Filipino ancestry determine an individual’s risk. But it reinforces an important point: a normal or relatively low body weight should not be used to assume that someone with PMOS has little metabolic risk. PMOS itself is associated with an increased risk of abnormal glucose regulation and type 2 diabetes regardless of BMI.
Symptoms can also be considered separately when they may actually be related. Irregular periods, persistent acne, excess facial or body hair, scalp hair thinning, or difficulty becoming pregnant can all be features of PMOS. Recognizing that pattern can lead to a more complete evaluation.
What’s actually changing right now — and what isn’t The most important point is that the condition itself has not changed. The name has.
If you were previously diagnosed with PCOS, you do not suddenly have a different disease. PMOS is the new name for the condition previously called PCOS.
The terminology will not change everywhere at once. Medical records, insurance and billing systems, research publications, and patient education materials may continue to use “PCOS” during the transition. A three-year transition period is underway, during which both PCOS and PMOS may be used, with the new terminology planned for integration into the 2028 International Guideline update.
The name change also does not mean that attention to metabolic health is a new recommendation. International guidelines already recommend evaluating women with the condition for metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors.
Current guidelines recommend assessing blood sugar at diagnosis and repeating that assessment every one to three years based on individual diabetes risk. A lipid profile is recommended at diagnosis, with subsequent testing based on the results and other cardiovascular risk factors. Blood pressure should generally be measured at least annually.
Although insulin resistance is an important part of PMOS, routine insulin testing is not recommended because currently available insulin measurements have limited usefulness in routine clinical care.
The rename therefore does not create an entirely new approach to treatment. Instead, it gives the condition a name that better reflects what clinicians and researchers have come to understand about it.
What you can do If you have irregular or infrequent periods, persistent acne, excess facial or body hair, scalp hair thinning, or difficulty becoming pregnant, it may be worth asking whether PMOS could be part of the picture. These symptoms can have many causes, so PMOS should be evaluated rather than assumed.
If you have already been diagnosed with PCOS or PMOS, care should consider more than menstrual cycles and fertility. Blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and other individual risk factors are also important parts of long-term health.
And importantly, body weight alone does not determine metabolic risk. Women with PMOS can have abnormalities in glucose regulation even without obesity.
The new name is ultimately more than a change in terminology. It is an effort to describe the condition more accurately: not simply as a problem involving ovarian “cysts,” but as a hormonal and metabolic syndrome that can affect health across different stages of a woman’s life.
For Filipino women in Hawaiʻi, that broader understanding is particularly relevant because diabetes already represents an important health concern in the Filipino-American community. Recognizing PMOS provides an opportunity not only to address periods, fertility, skin, or hair concerns, but also to identify metabolic risk factors early and manage those that can be changed.
RAINIER DENNIS D. BAUTISTA, MD, DABFM, FAAFP is a board-certified family physician practicing in Hawaiʻi.
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