The name of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which affects one in eight women worldwide, has been changed by an international consortium to better reflect the condition’s complex hormonal and metabolic nature. The proposal to rename PCOS was first put forward at a meeting hosted by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2012, marking the start of the renaming process. Following 14 years of global collaboration involving international experts, including Prof. Dr Okan Bülent Yıldız, a lecturer in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, the historic renaming process has been completed, and the condition has been renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovary syndrome (PMOS). Through international scientific research conducted within our university in the fields of PCOS and obesity for over 25 years, Hacettepe played a decisive role in this global transformation.
The decision reached millions of people
Announced at the European Congress of Endocrinology held in Prague following a new global consensus, the decision was also published in The Lancet, one of the medical world’s most respected journals. Shaped by the participation of over 14,000 healthcare professionals and patient representatives worldwide, this decision became one of the most downloaded articles on international medical platforms within the first 48 hours of its announcement. It reached millions of people via global digital media and was met with significant acceptance and interest within the international scientific community. The fact that the disease is not merely a condition affecting the ovaries, but rather a systemic, metabolic and chronic condition progressing alongside insulin resistance, hormonal imbalances, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular risks, was the primary factor behind this global interest and the name change.
The Focus Shifts from the Ovaries to Metabolism
Prof. Dr. Okan Bülent Yıldız, a member of the global consortium, highlighted that the condition has a complex structure affecting not just the ovaries but the entire metabolism. Prof. Dr. Yıldız stated that the new naming, which encompasses all dimensions of the condition, would pave the way for early diagnosis and comprehensive care, ushering in a holistic era in women’s health.
The new definition, updated to ‘polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome’ (PMOS) following a joint vote by thousands of healthcare professionals and patient representatives worldwide, will enable the condition to be assessed in terms of lifelong health.