O\u2019Reilly, who was part of the renaming consortium, says because the condition was traditionally considered to be a reproductive disorder, it lacked a holistic patient-centred approach and wasn\u2019t researched extensively. \u201cLots of patients were put on the contraceptive pill and told to come back when they wanted to become pregnant,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
![\"Professor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/YVNV7GXVORFQPIV457GVHYJ3DQ.jpg\")
Professor Michael O\u2019Reilly, consultant endocrinologist at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. <\/p>\n
A medical diagnosis of PCOS, now PMOS, is made when two of three key symptoms \u2013 irregular or absent periods; polycystic ovaries; and acne, alopecia and facial hair caused by high levels of testosterone \u2013 are present. The diagnosis hasn\u2019t changed with the name change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a chronic metabolic condition which leaves people at higher risk of type 2 diabetes<\/a> and cardiovascular disease<\/a> later in life,\u201d says O\u2019Reilly. He adds that women\u2019s health issues such as menstrual irregularity<\/a> shouldn\u2019t be ignored. \u201cThey can be a signpost to underlying health conditions,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n Symptoms \u2013 including irregular periods, excess hair on the face or body, mood changes and cysts on the ovaries \u2013 often start in the late teens or early 20s. <\/p>\n The oral contractive pill is the standard medical treatment, although a healthy diet<\/a>, regular exercise<\/a> and undisturbed sleep<\/a> alleviate symptoms substantially for some with the condition. <\/p>\n Mary-Jo Maguire, an Irish nutritionist who was diagnosed with the condition as a teenager, says women who didn\u2019t have cysts yet suffered from other symptoms were often not getting diagnosed. \u201cIt was pigeonholed as a reproductive issue, but this new name will mean metabolic and other hormonal issues can be treated,\u201d says Maguire.<\/p>\n Maguire works with women to help them manage a wide range of hormonal symptoms from weight gain to fatigue and sugar cravings associated with the condition. She wants to help women \u201cget their power back\u201d and be aware that there are other options when it comes to treating the condition. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat happens is you come out of that diagnosis feeling completely deflated. You\u2019re told basically, \u2018Take this pill.\u2019 There\u2019s no empowerment for the woman to take action to look after her own hormones and health.\u201d<\/p>\n In terms of fertility, Maguire says, \u201cBeing told [you can\u2019t conceive] is a horrible thing to hear. So many women are told that and it\u2019s something that sticks with you throughout your 20s. It\u2019s this kind of underlying worry.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re almost nearly against the clock because you feel more under pressure as a woman with PCOS [now PMOS] that you should try earlier because you mightn\u2019t be able to get pregnant in your 30s, but if you can make the changes in your diet and lifestyle and with supplements and support, you can get results. Maybe you do need help with medication as well, but I do believe there\u2019s a role for both and it can make a huge difference.\u201d <\/p>\n Prof Helena Teede, endocrinologist and director of Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation in Melbourne, Australia, announced the name change at an international congress of endocrinologists in Prague last week. \u201cThe term PCOS didn\u2019t capture the multi-system burden that people with this condition have suffered,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n An overfocus on the search for pathological ovarian cysts has, according to a Lancet report on the name change, resulted in up to 70 per cent of individuals remaining undiagnosed. <\/p>\n![\"PCOS,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/6SQYW45IYFEQHF3JYABVS54XMM.jpg\")
PCOS, now renamed PMOS, has wide range of symptoms. Illustration: Getty Images\/iStockphoto <\/p>\n