Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects millions of people and can be debilitating. A group of world health leaders have agreed to the proposed name change.
WASHINGTON — A group of world health experts and medical leaders has agreed to a proposal to rename polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a disease that affects 170 million people worldwide.
They agreed that polyendocrine metabolic ovary syndrome (PMOS) better reflects the disease’s broader impact on hormonal and metabolic health.
a recent report Published in The Lancet The group behind the effort claims the term PCOS is “inaccurate” and leads to “delayed diagnosis, fragmented care and stigma.”
The study says the name PCOS focuses more on ovarian cysts than the disease’s impact on overall health, leading to incomplete diagnosis and care.
The Androgen Excess and PCOS Association led research for the report, which is based on 14,000 survey responses from patients and health professionals, international workshops and input from nearly 60 academic, clinical and patient organizations.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common disorder that affects hormones and can lead to irregular menstruation, excessive hair growth, acne, obesity, thinning hair and infertility. According to the Cleveland Clinic.
The cause is unknown, and there is no single diagnostic method.
The condition can appear at any time during the childbearing years, but most people are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s while trying to conceive.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the leading causes of infertility and can lead to an increased risk of other health conditions.
However, not all health experts agree with this proposal.
this National Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association Acknowledging that efforts and research into the disease are conducted “in the right spirit and with what is best for people with the disease,” they did not support the name change.
The organization believes that adopting new terminology in systems and records is simply an administrative step and that meaningful changes require improvements in clinical education, referrals, reimbursement, research priorities, patient-centered care, and the implementation of patient retention support networks.
“Today is a complicated day for many in the PCOS community,” said Sasha Ottey, executive director of PCOS Challenge. “Changes of this scale pose real risks to the entire ecosystem, many of which have yet to be fully assessed, publicly disclosed, or weighed against the infrastructure people rely on. This process does not adequately meet that standard.”
