For years, millions of women have known the condition as PCOS or PCOD — terms often associated with irregular periods, hormonal imbalance, acne, weight gain and fertility concerns. Now, there has been a major shift in how the condition is understood and described.

PCOS, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, is now renamed as PMOS: Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. The change aims to reflect what doctors and researchers have increasingly recognised over the years — that the condition is not just about ovarian cysts, but a complex whole-body hormonal and metabolic disorder.

To understand what this change means for patients, diagnosis and long-term care, we spoke to Dr Yash Bahuguna, MBBS, MS, DNB, a gynaecologist at Pinky Promise. 

With over six years of clinical experience across institutions, he specialises in hormonal health and PCOS/PMOS care.

Excerpts from the interview:

1. There has been a shift from PCOD/PCOS to PMOS. What exactly has changed, and why?

The condition earlier called PCOS is now being renamed PMOS.

The change is important because the older name over-focused on “cysts” and ovaries, while the condition is actually a broader hormonal, metabolic and reproductive health disorder.

PMOS affects weight, metabolism, mental health, skin and reproductive health. The older name also contributed to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment in many cases.

2. What do PCOD, PCOS and PMOS mean? Are PCOS and PCOD invalid now?

PCOD usually stands for Polycystic Ovarian Disease. It is an older, commonly used term in India, but medically, PCOS has been the more accepted term.

PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. This has been the standard medical term for decades.

PMOS stands for Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. This is the newer term proposed to better describe the condition.

PCOS and PCOD are not becoming “invalid” overnight. Patients, doctors, hospitals and insurance systems will continue using them during the transition. However, medically, PMOS is considered more accurate because it reflects the condition’s whole-body impact.

3. Is PMOS now medically accepted globally?

PMOS has been announced through a major global effort led by Monash University and published in The Lancet.

The process reportedly involved 14 years of work, more than 22,000 survey responses, and 56 patient and professional organisations.

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