Can a name change transform PCOS outcomes for women?

Summary

---

Science Weekly (The Guardian) – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Can a name change transform PCOS outcomes for women?
Date: May 21, 2026
Host: Madeline Findlay
Guests: Rachel (patient and advocate), Nicola Davis (Science Correspondent, The Guardian)

---

Episode Overview

This episode investigates the recent renaming of PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) to PMOS (Polymetabolic Ovarian Syndrome)—a historic move shaped by years of patient and clinical advocacy. Host Madeline Findlay, science correspondent Nicola Davis, and PCOS/PMOS advocate Rachel discuss why the name was changed, what the new name means, and the potentially transformative impacts on diagnosis, treatment, understanding, and stigma surrounding the condition. The episode centers on how language in medicine shapes research, care, and patient outcomes.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Patient Experience and Diagnostic Challenges

• Rachel’s Journey
  • Rachel recounts how, as a teenager, her periods were months apart, and her early symptoms—including severe acne, unexplained bleeding, and later weight gain—were dismissed or inadequately explained by doctors ([01:16], [02:04]).
  • She visited doctors six times about her irregular periods but was repeatedly told, “periods are pretty awful anyway, so why are you worried about it?” ([10:16])
  • After moving from Australia to the UK, she was finally tested for PCOS.
  • Rachel’s diagnosis experience was disheartening: “Here's a printout from the internet about PCOS... I was told that I probably wouldn't be able to have children. It's a lifelong condition. But if I decided I wanted to try at some point to come back and there might be something that they may be able to do to help me. I just at that moment felt kind of the bottom crash out of my world.” ([10:54])

---

2. Why Change the Name? The Problems with "PCOS"

• PolyCystic Misnomer
  • The old name, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, is misleading because:
    • Not all symptoms relate to ovaries or “cysts”.
    • The so-called “cysts” are actually paused follicles, not cysts ([05:15], Nicola Davis).
    • The disorder is fundamentally a hormonal and metabolic syndrome, not just reproductive or ovarian ([04:34], [05:15]).
  • Quote:

    “The phrase polycystic is a problem because they're not cysts. At all. They're actually essentially kind of paused follicles.”
    —Nicola Davis [05:15]

---

3. What is PMOS?

• Defining Features and Symptoms
  • PMOS (Polymetabolic Ovarian Syndrome) is marked by a broad spectrum of symptoms:
    • Irregular/no periods
    • Irregular ovulation
    • Excess hair (facial/body), acne, weight gain
    • Insulin resistance
    • Metabolic and mental health syndromes ([04:34], [13:07])

---

4. Underlying Causes

• Hormonal and Genetic Factors
  • The root cause relates to an excess of androgens and disruptions in insulin and other hormonal balances.
  • Genetics contribute, possibly with environmental or prenatal exposure to male hormones ([07:19]).

---

5. Diagnosis Procedures

• The Rotterdam Criteria
  • Diagnosis still uses two out of three criteria:
    • “Polycystic” ovaries (even though the term is flawed)
    • Irregular periods
    • Manifestations of high androgens (via bloodwork or symptoms)
  • Critically, “you can have PMOS without polycystic ovaries.” ([09:07], Nicola Davis)

---

6. Impact of Medical Misconceptions and Stigma

• Misplaced Emphasis and Consequences
  • The outdated name led to misclassification as merely a reproductive disorder, overshadowing broader health impacts such as mental health challenges, metabolic complications (like insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk), and stigmatization—particularly around weight ([13:07]).
  • Many women report feeling misunderstood and being forced into advocacy roles for themselves:

    “75% of patients that we survey... say that they feel like the experts on PCOS when they're having an encounter with a healthcare professional about their condition and that's just not good enough.”
    —Rachel [13:07]

---

7. Fertility Misconceptions and Hope

• Not Just an Infertility Condition
  • Rachel was told she might never conceive, but eventually had three children:

    “It’s not a condition of infertility like they have been led to believe. There may be difficulties, but... if you have intervention and help early enough in life that that can happen for you.”
    —Rachel [14:30]

---

8. The Process and Significance of the Name Change

• Massive International Consensus

  • Over a decade of work, involving 22,000 patients and professionals, led to the new term, PMOS ([03:00], Rachel).
  • At the international conference, the new name announcement was met with a standing ovation:

    “A round of applause from hundreds of endocrinologists... Honestly, I could cry. I probably will cry right now. It was really, really emotional.”
    —Rachel [03:22]

• New Name, New Hope

  • The new name acknowledges the lifelong, metabolic, and hormonal aspects of the condition, and provides hope for less stigma and improved medical understanding ([15:27]).
  • Quote from a campaign leader via Nicola Davis:

    “In policy, in funding, in research, in education and in health system care, everything is structured around which box you put a condition in. If you don’t get it right, if you don’t label it correctly, then how it’s viewed in the medical community… all of that comes from the name.”
    —as relayed from Professor Helena Teed [16:02]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The root cause is the name.” —Rachel [02:51]
• “We really feel so strongly that this is the key to unlocking all the change that needs to happen.” —Rachel [03:54]
• “It acknowledges the lifelong nature of the condition, the metabolic and hormonal aspects of the condition and the reproductive as well, without being stigmatising.” —Rachel [15:27]
• “If you put a condition in the incorrect box... everything flows from there.” —Prof. Helena Teed, via Nicola Davis [16:02]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:16] Rachel begins describing her teenage symptoms and first encounters with healthcare
• [02:54] Rachel introduces the “root cause” as the syndrome’s name
• [03:00] The collaborative process of selecting the new name
• [03:22] Announcement of PMOS at an international medical conference
• [04:34] Explanation of PMOS symptoms and why the syndrome defies its old label
• [05:15–06:23] Technical discussion of hormone imbalance and biology
• [07:19] Causes and contributing factors: genetics and in-utero exposure
• [09:07] Diagnostic procedures and the importance of the new terminology
• [10:16] Rachel’s struggle for diagnosis and the emotional toll
• [13:07] Stigma, mental health, and advocacy for better care
• [14:30] Rachel shares her story of having children after years of believing she was infertile
• [15:27] Patient involvement in the renaming process and the breadth of PMOS
• [16:02] Why the name change matters for research, funding, and care

---

Tone and Language

The tone is empathetic, clear, and science-driven but highly human—combining clinical expertise with personal testimony. Language alternates between technical explanations (from Nicola and Madeline) and emotionally charged, candid patient perspectives (from Rachel).

---

Takeaways

• The change from PCOS to PMOS is more than semantic—it realigns medical understanding and promises practical change in diagnosis, treatment, research, and support.
• The story highlights the vital importance of accurate medical language, patient advocacy, and dismantling stigma—especially for conditions impacting millions.
• Listeners are encouraged to seek support, pursue thorough medical care, and consult organizations such as Verity-Charity for PMOS support.

---

For further reading:

• The Guardian's coverage on PMOS: theguardian.com
• Charity resource: Verity PCOS/PMOS

Production credits:
Episode produced by Madeline Finlay; sound design by Joel Cox; executive producer Ellie Burey.

---

Transcript

[Madeline Findlay]

This is the guardian.

[Progressive Insurance Advertiser]

Insurance isn't one size fits all. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's name your price tool for years now. With the name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay and they'll show you options that fit your budget. So whether you're picking out your first policy or just looking for something that works better for you and your family, they make it easy to see your options. Visit progressive.com find a rate that works for you with the name your price tool. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law.

[Chelsea Clinton]

Do you ever find yourself scrolling through headlines and thinking, possibly screaming, at least on the inside, that can't be true. There's rising rates of vaccine preventable diseases and someone on the Internet saying that watermelon juice is a natural alternative to sunscreen. Just, no, I'm Chelsea Clinton and that can't be true is back for season three. My guests and I cut through a lot of chaos to help all of us understand what is true, what is overblown and what's false.

[Rachel]

I first went to the doctor when I was about 14 years old to talk about why my periods had started, but were months and months and months apart, unlike all of my peers at school. And I was told that I was young, they would regulate as I got older and not to worry about it.

[Madeline Findlay]

The experience Rachel is describing might be familiar to a lot of women. She didn't know it at the time, but she had pcos, Polycystic ovary syndrome. According to the World Health organization, an estimated 10 to 13% of women at reproductive age are affected. 70% don't know they have the condition. Through Rachel's teenage years, more symptoms appeared.

[Rachel]

Really bad. Acne that would come out of nowhere that was much more extreme than any of my friends were getting or bleeding out of nowhere and not being prepared for it. Having to tie a jumper around my waist because, you know, I maybe bled through the back of my dress or something. I just felt different from everybody.

[Madeline Findlay]

As she got older, Rachel started to gain weight that she struggled to keep off. After years of trying to work out what was going on, she finally got a diagnosis, pcos. But the confusion, misconceptions and inadequate medical treatment continued. Rachel realised there was one major problem underlying it all.

[Rachel]

The root cause is the name.

[Madeline Findlay]

Through the charity Verity, Rachel got involved in the effort to rename PCOS.

[Rachel]

This is a collective kind of decision of over 22,000 people, patients and healthcare professionals from every continent on the world.

[Madeline Findlay]

Following more than a decade of workshops Surveys and consultations. Last week, a new name was announced.

[Rachel]

I was on stage announcing it alongside some of the most incredible healthcare experts.

[Madeline Findlay]

And when the moment came, there was

[Rachel]

a round of applause from hundreds of endocrinologists from around the world that traveled to the, to the conference where we announced it. Honestly, I could cry. I probably will cry right now. It was really, really emotional. We came off and we were buzzing. People were so excited.

[Madeline Findlay]

It's now called pmos. That single letter difference might seem minor, but for those with a condition, it signals the beginning of significant.

[Rachel]

We really feel so strongly that this is the key to unlocking all the change that needs to happen.

[Madeline Findlay]

So today. Why Has PCOs become PMOs? From the Guardian, I'm Madeline Findlay and this is Science Weekly. Nicola Davis. As Science correspondent, you've been writing about why polycystic ovary syndrome, or pcos, has been renamed to polymetabolic ovarian syndrome, or pmos. So what is pmos?

[Nicola Davis]

It's a multifaceted condition. So women who have it often have irregular periods, sometimes no periods, irregular ovulation, sometimes there's excess hair. So facial hair, body hair, sometimes acne, sometimes weight gain. So lots of different features.

[Madeline Findlay]

Yeah. So there's this range of symptoms that you've described that you might experience even at different points in your life if you have this condition. But even though it was called polycystic ovary syndrome, you didn't mention polycystic ovaries there. I mean, they aren't really, I guess then the defining feature of this condition. And in fact, I was amazed to read in your piece, they aren't really cysts at all.

[Nicola Davis]

Yeah, it's a problem that the old name was quite misleading. So the first word there was polycystic. And the problem with this was, first of all, it put all the emphasis on the ovaries when, as I said, there are lots of different manifestations. And it's actually, it's a hormonal disruption, essentially that's going on. So that's where the polyandocrine part of the new name comes from. The endocrine system is our hormonal system. And then this idea of polycystic was a problem. So back when researchers were first looking at the ovaries of people who had this condition, they saw these sort of little fluid filled sacs and it's thought that's where this idea that they were cysts came from. But actually they're not cysts. So the phrase polycystic is a problem because they're not cysts. At all. They're actually essentially kind of paused follicles. So in the ovary, in healthy women without pcos, every month, your follicles start to develop and then one eventually matures and. And it releases an egg. But in people with pcos, or pmos, as it's now known, some of these follicles become paused, and that's what you're seeing, those little sacs.

[Madeline Findlay]

That's so interesting. And you said there that this is ultimately a hormonal condition. So what's the underlying cause of PMOS symptoms?

[Nicola Davis]

So, in a way, I think it's worth looking at. So the condition as a whole, and its new name really reflects the cause there. Polyendocrine. So this is about the endocrine system or the hormonal system. And in particular, women with PMOs have an excess of androgens, and these are so called male sex hormones. So these are hormones that are found in higher levels in men than in women, but are also found in women, but there's an excess of them often in women with this condition, and that causes an imbalance in other hormones. You also have things like more insulin resistance, so you can have high levels of insulin. High levels of insulin also increase the production of androgen. So you can see it's like a kind of complex picture.

[Madeline Findlay]

And are there any theories as to why people end up with this condition? What's ultimately behind it?

[Nicola Davis]

So research is ongoing to kind of unpick what, why some people have PMOs. We know that it can run in families, so that suggests genes might play a role. And it's unlikely to be like a single gene. It's likely to be many different genes that are involved, but there are other potential factors as well. So there's genetic factors, There might be some nurture factors as well in there. There are studies, particularly in animals, that suggest that if you've got an exposure, greater exposure to those male sex hormones in the womb, that might increase the risk of offspring having PMOs.

[Madeline Findlay]

Nicola, if someone was experiencing the symptoms like the ones Rachel and you have described, how would they go about getting diagnosed?

[Nicola Davis]

As with many things, if you've got a concern about your health, then a trip to your GP is the first port of call. And that's also because there are lots of things that can be done to help people with PMOs. I think it's important to mention that a lot of women have experienced difficulties when they've sought medical care around this condition, sometimes about being believed about symptoms or getting the right diagnosis, but still going through medical Channels is the correct way to go. There's also a great community out there of people with this lived experience and lots of resources and support there as well, which is worth looking at too.

[Madeline Findlay]

And so if you're sat in front of your gp, how are they going to go about things? Is it talking through the symptoms and kind of assessing what's going on, or are there kind of biomarkers that they look at?

[Nicola Davis]

The way the condition is currently diagnosed. And this hasn't changed even with the name change is based on what's called the Rotterdam Consensus. And the idea is that women need to have two out of three kind of checkboxes, as it were, to meet the sort of diagnostic criteria. So this could be polycystic ovaries, although as we've said, polycystic doesn't really describe what's going on. But they're still called that for now. Irregular periods or biochemical or clinical manifestations of high levels of androgen. Of course, what this means, and this is one of the reasons why the name change is so important, is it means you can have PMOs without polycystic ovaries. So you might not have those fluid filled sacs in your ovaries, but still have this condition.

[Madeline Findlay]

This is key. Plenty of healthcare professionals get very little training on what PMOS actually is. There's still a misconception that it's all about cysts on the ovaries. That can happen, but it's a different separate medical issue. And it means that when people go to their doctors, they often don't get the help or guidance they need, which is what happened to Rachel.

[Rachel]

In total, I went about six times to the doctor to ask about, specifically about my periods. I felt like there was something wrong, but the doctor who's the experts didn't see that. I got told that, well, periods are pretty awful anyway, so why are you worried about it? Or you might be someone that just has regularly irregular periods and that's your lot.

[Madeline Findlay]

Eventually, after relocating from Australia to the uk, Rachel saw a doctor who suspected PCOS and sent her for blood tests and an ultrasound. She finally received a diagnosis, but the

[Rachel]

follow up care that I got was non existent. It was. Here's a printout from the Internet about pcos. It was two pages long. I still have it somewhere because it was so shocking. I've kept it all this time. I was told that I probably wouldn't be able to have children. It's a lifelong condition. But if I decided I wanted to try at some point to come back and there might be something that they may be able to do to help me. And I just at that moment felt kind of the bottom crash out of my world because that is all I had ever wanted to do. That's the only thing I knew I wanted to do with my life, was to have kids, only to be told that that probably wouldn't happen. And so, yeah, I spent the next few weeks just sad and depressed and isolating myself from everything.

[Madeline Findlay]

Coming up why a rename could change everything.

[Progressive Insurance Advertiser]

You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cash back. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates national average 12 month savings by $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary.

[Madeline Findlay]

Conversations around PMOs often centre on fertility. Because of its old name, the condition was put in the reproductive box, thought of as a single organ problem. But the new name reflects that it's not only a reproductive condition, but a dermatological, psychological, hormonal and metabolic one too.

[Rachel]

Rachel People think because you are overweight that you are, you know, leading a really unhealthy lifestyle. And sure there's unhealthy choices and things, and having anxiety and depression or fatigue or sleep apnea or all of these things. Mental health struggles as well because of what you're going through compounds on this kind of issue. But there is very real insulin resistance connected to the condition. So having to go into the doctor and say, hey, can you help me? I'm really struggling. What can you do? And being told that you need to go and do that on yourself, like just go away, eat less, move more. That's a really big misconception. And 75% of patients that we survey through our patient consultation survey say that they feel like the experts on PCOs when they're having an encounter with a healthcare professional about their condition and that's just not good enough.

[Madeline Findlay]

This also means women might not receive appropriate care treatments that can help manage symptoms or reduce long term risks associated with weight gain and irregular periods. And there are effective treatments for fertility problems, despite what Rachel was told for a long Time she delayed trying, but as she puts it, her biological clock stopped ticking and started swearing at her.

[Rachel]

I now have three children which after a decade or more of thinking that that wouldn't happen and never even coming close, you know, I call them each my little miracles because they really feel like it. And I think that that would be a message that I would love for other people to know, is that it's not a condition of infertility like they have been led to believe. There may be difficulties, but you know, if you have intervention and help early enough in life that that can happen for you. But it's not everybody's goal either.

[Madeline Findlay]

And even if children are something you want, the condition doesn't magically go away once you've had them. When Rachel got involved with the pcos now PMOS charity Verity, she quickly realised all the problems around the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of the condition ultimately came back to the name. And so a decade long campaign began to work out what it should be called.

[Rachel]

Patients have really, truly had a seat at the table for this entire process. I'm actually really thrilled at the name. It acknowledges the lifelong nature of the condition, the metabolic and hormonal aspects of the condition and the reproductive as well, without being stigmatising.

[Madeline Findlay]

Nicola, what kind of impact could this name change have? Why have patients and experts been fighting for this for so long? Basically, why is it important?

[Nicola Davis]

There's a couple of different reasons why this is important. First of all, PCOS was a misleading name. It's a hormonal metabolic condition. There's all sorts of other health implications from increased risk of Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, all sorts of other things there. And what really struck me as well was something that Professor Helena Teed mentioned. Now, Helena Teed is an endocrinologist from Monash University and she basically has led the charge on this name change. And she said when she was announcing this name change, she was saying, you know, does it matter if we change the name? And she said it does. Because in policy, in funding, in research, in education and in health system care, everything is structured around which box you put a condition in. If you put a condition in the incorrect box, or everything flows from there, if you don't get it right, if you don't label it correctly, then how it's viewed in the medical community, how it's viewed in research communities, funding policy and in the patient community, all of that comes from the name. So I think it's more than just sticking a new label on, it's really changing the way that condition is viewed and considered

[Madeline Findlay]

a huge thanks to Rachel and to Nicola Davies. You can read more about this [e-mail] and and you can find Rachel's [e-mail]. And that's it for today. This episode was produced by me, Madeline Finlay. It was sound, designed by Joel Cox and the executive producer is Ellie Burey. We'll be back on Tuesday. See you then.

[Rachel]

This is the Guardian.

[T-Mobile Advertiser 1]

Today we're talking about one of the bills that creeps up on families every year and how to help stop it. So you brought me this stat. T Mobile customers had the lowest wireless bills versus Verizon and AT&T over the past five years. That seems surprising.

[Madeline Findlay]

Yeah.

[T-Mobile Advertiser 2]

When I first heard it, I thought m'. Kay. But when the experts at Harris X broke it down, it was true for millions of families. Five years of the lowest wireless wireless bills versus Verizon and att. And in this area where every monthly bill gets noticed, that kind of savings makes a real difference.

[T-Mobile Advertiser 1]

Plus a five year price guarantee on experience plans on America's best network. I'm not hearing any sacrifice here, which

[T-Mobile Advertiser 2]

is what people need right now. Reliability, predictability, that kind of breathing room makes a weekend on the coast a little easier to plan. Affordable wireless service isn't a perk, it's a difference. And listeners, if you don't believe me, you can check it out@t mobile.com Switch

[T-Mobile Advertiser 1]

savings based on Harris X billing snapshots from Q3.21 to Q4 25 compared to average AT&T and Verizon billing comparison excludes discounts, credits and optional charges. For more details, see harrisx.comtmobile-bills do you

[Chelsea Clinton]

ever find yourself scrolling through headlines and thinking, possibly screaming, at least on the inside, that can't be true? There's rising rates of vaccine preventable diseases and someone on the Internet saying that watermelon juice is a natural alternative to sunscreen. Just no, I'm Chelsea Clinton and that can't be true. It's back for season three. My guests and I cut through a lot of chaos to help all of us understand what is true, what is overblown and what's false.

[Nicola Davis]

Hannah, I just Venmo'd you for dinner.

[Venmo Advertiser]

Obsessed. I'm spending it right now in the lip gloss that's been sitting in my cart.

[Madeline Findlay]

What do you mean spending it right now?

[Venmo Advertiser]

You can instantly spend your balance with the Venmo debit card or when you pay with Venmo at checkout.

[Madeline Findlay]

Stop. Say more.

[Venmo Advertiser]

More. Exactly. The more you do with Venmo, the more you get, like earning up to 5% cash back with Venmo Stash get the Venmo debit card or checkout online. Venmo Stash bundle terms and exclusions apply. Max $100 per month. See terms at Venmo Me Stash terms. Venmo Checkout not available at all merchants. The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp Bank NA.