World Health Organization (WHO) statistics<\/a> reveal that PCOS affects 10 to 13 per cent of reproductive-aged women, and up to 70 per cent are unaware they are living with the condition.<\/p>\nWomen with PCOS have an increased risk of developing other health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, weight gain, hypertension, and sleep apnea, among others.<\/p>\n
Why the name change?<\/p>\n
According to Sierra, the previous name did not accurately describe the experience of everyone with PCOS.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you say polycystic ovary syndrome, you\u2019re right away putting the term cyst into play, and it\u2019s completely inaccurate,\u201d she told Now Toronto.<\/p>\n
Contrary to what the name might suggest, the doctor says people who have polycystic ovaries don\u2019t usually deal with multiple or painful ovarian cysts. Instead, their ovaries are often enlarged by a heightened presence of follicles.<\/p>\n
As explained by her, the name could confuse patients, who would often believe their pain was caused by PCOS, when in fact they might be facing different conditions, such as endometriosis.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere was a general knowledge within the gynecologic community that [PCOS was] not the right term, and that\u2019s why this came into play,\u201d she clarified.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the term Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) is designed to avoid confusion and truly reflect the condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s moving away from the structural characterization of the ovaries to encompassing more that hormonal and metabolic impact of the syndrome, which is the thing that has more morbidity with respect to fertility and ongoing health,\u201d Sierra explained.<\/p>\n
What does this mean for feminine healthcare?<\/p>\n
Sierra believes the name change is a good step toward accurately identifying the condition, as it enlarges the understanding of the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re moving towards being more accurate and more inclusive,\u201d Sierra said.<\/p>\n
The new name calls attention to the hormone and metabolic changes, \u2014 which are treatable \u2014 with early intervention often leading to positive health impacts down the line when it comes to fertility, diabetes, or heart disease.<\/p>\n
In contrast, the previous name focused on the structural changes in the ovary, without considering the long-term impact.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The new name] will have younger people thinking about long-term consequences\u2026 not just focusing on the cyst,\u201d Sierra said.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Dr. Michal Sheinis, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist, agrees that the name change could bring positive consequences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to her, the new term better reflects the criteria used to diagnose PMOS.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just highlights the fact that there are multiple criteria. Polycystic ovaries are only one of them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The new name also highlights other endocrine dysfunctions that people can experience when diagnosed with PMOS, including insulin resistance and high cholesterol.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s helpful to have a name that includes all of that because that\u2019s kind of the pathophysiological mechanism of the condition, and it\u2019s important that that be part of the treatment as well, and the screening related to it,\u201d Sheinis said.<\/p>\n
How are people online reacting?<\/p>\n
Many people online have been sharing their takes on the new name, including an appreciation for its\u00a0accuracy, while others say experts should focus on finding new treatments for the condition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have irregular periods and facial hair, yet no cysts are present on or around my ovaries, so I like the accuracy of the new name,\u201d one Instagram user wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate the accuracy of the new name. I always felt like PCOS did not give the full picture,\u201d another added.<\/p>\n
\u201cA new name hopefully means increased understanding and more research, which leads to a cure or treatment. They can\u2019t magically do that. The old name led to misdiagnoses and misconceptions, which stunted research, which this new name tackles,\u201d another commented.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did they find a cure for it? Because we don\u2019t give a damn about its name as much as we care about a solution that cures it,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What to know PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is being renamed PMOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome) to reflect the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674363,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,19605,247965,11732,84,392,78889,246650],"class_list":["post-674362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-endometriosis","tag-feminine-health","tag-gynecology","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-pcos","tag-pmos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674362"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674362\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}