PCOS has a new name. Here’s what it means for 170M+ women (and the millions still searching for answers).

Published June 30, 2026

1 in 8 women, or more than 170 million worldwide, live with a condition that has long been misunderstood. Even its name captured only part of the reality.¹

What is PMOS?

PMOS, or polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, is the new name for the condition once known as PCOS. PMOS is a lifelong hormonal and metabolic condition, not an ovary problem alone. Two major features help explain why: insulin resistance and androgen excess.¹,³

Because PMOS can affect each woman differently, healthcare providers look for at least 2 out of 3 signs in adults, after ruling out other conditions:

• Irregular or absent ovulation
• High androgen levels
• Polycystic ovarian appearance on ultrasound or elevated anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)

Testosterone and other androgens are hormones.

Testosterone is often thought of as a male-only sex hormone, but women make and need it too, just in much smaller amounts. In PMOS, the ovaries may make too much testosterone, leading to elevated levels known as androgen excess.⁴,⁵

What are symptoms of PMOS?

PMOS is a whole-body condition involving hormonal, metabolic, and inflammatory changes. It doesn’t follow a single pattern or look the same for everyone. Symptoms of PMOS may change over time and show up in many ways.¹⁻⁴

PMOS signs and symptoms:

Who’s at risk for PMOS?

PMOS tends to run in families. Individuals may be at higher risk if they have a family history of the condition or type 2 diabetes. Other factors, including insulin resistance and chronic low-grade inflammation, may also affect how symptoms show up.⁴,⁶

What causes PMOS? What can it affect?

While the exact cause of PMOS remains unknown, the condition involves 2 main hormonal and metabolic imbalances¹⁻³:

•  Insulin resistance
•  Androgen excess

Separately, they can cause distinct health issues. But together, these imbalances create a feedback loop that may worsen PMOS symptoms. To understand how, we’ll start with the body’s primary fuel source.

Glucose (sugar) is the body’s main and preferred fuel source. Every cell needs this energy to function. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps sugar enter those cells. If sugar can’t enter, it builds up in the blood instead.

This buildup is often caused by a condition called insulin resistance. It’s when cells become less responsive to insulin, so even more sugar stays in the bloodstream. To compensate, the pancreas pumps out extra insulin to force cells to respond and keep blood sugar stable.

But for individuals with PMOS, this extra insulin doesn’t only affect blood sugar. It also impacts the ovaries, triggering them to overproduce androgens, like testosterone. In turn, this androgen excess travels back through the bloodstream, making cells even more resistant to insulin. This forces the pancreas to produce even higher levels of insulin just to keep up, which restarts the loop.

The body cannot sustain this imbalance forever. High androgen levels in a woman's body can lead to infertility, cause complications in pregnancy, and continue to raise a woman's risk of cardiometabolic conditions during and after menopause. Over time, the ongoing strain of this multisystem impact can contribute to whole-body health risks, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.¹,⁴,⁵,⁶

Can PMOS affect fertility and pregnancy?

Fertility

PMOS can affect fertility because hormonal changes can interfere with ovulation. In a typical menstrual cycle, several small follicles (fluid-filled sacs containing immature eggs) begin to grow in the ovaries. Usually, a single follicle becomes dominant, matures, and releases an egg during ovulation.

In PMOS, insulin resistance can lead to higher insulin levels, which can signal the ovaries to make more androgens. Higher androgen levels can disrupt follicle development, so follicles may start to grow but pause before one matures enough to release an egg.

The appearance of these “paused follicles” is what “polycystic” in PCOS refers to, despite them being undeveloped follicles, not true cysts. When follicles don’t fully mature and release an egg, ovulation may happen late, unpredictably, or not at all. That can make it challenging to identify the fertile window and become pregnant.

Having PMOS doesn’t mean a woman can’t get pregnant. PMOS is one of the most common, but treatable, causes of infertility in women. Many women with PMOS conceive naturally. Others may need support through lifestyle changes, cycle tracking, ovulation medications, or fertility care.

Pregnancy

Women with PMOS can have healthy pregnancies, but the condition may increase the risk of certain pregnancy complications, including miscarriage, gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. Regular prenatal care can help monitor these risks and support a healthy pregnancy.⁴,⁶,⁸

Does PMOS go away with menopause?

PMOS is a lifelong condition, so it doesn’t go away with menopause. But it may look different.

During perimenopause and menopause, some PMOS symptoms may continue or change while new menopause-related symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats, appear. After menopause, period-related symptoms naturally fade. However, the hormonal and metabolic effects of PMOS can continue to affect blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, and long-term heart health.

Health risks such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart attack also increase with age. These risks may be higher in women with PMOS than in women without the condition. This is why monitoring and supporting long-term metabolic and cardiovascular health is essential.⁴,⁹

Which hormones play a role in PMOS?

The term “polyendocrine” means that multiple hormone systems are involved. Rather than being an isolated issue with the ovaries, PMOS involves a network of hormones working out of sync. Because these systems are connected, a change in 1 can influence the others, helping explain why PMOS can affect periods, ovulation, fertility, skin, hair, metabolism, and long-term health.³,⁵,⁷

Key hormones that may be involved

• Insulin
• Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)
• Androgens (like testosterone or DHEA)
• Luteinizing hormone (LH)
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)
• Estrogen
• Progesterone
• Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH)

How can lab testing help clarify PMOS?

A PMOS diagnosis isn’t based on a single finding. It takes a combination of factors, such as menstrual history, symptoms, lab test results, and meeting at least 2 of the 3 diagnostic criteria.¹,³,⁴

Lab testing can help connect symptoms to underlying patterns, point to which systems may be under strain, and guide more personalized next steps.

For PMOS, lab tests may provide insights into different areas including

• Androgen levels
• Ovarian function
• Ovulatory patterns
• Metabolic risks
• Look-alike conditions

Can PMOS be managed?

There’s currently no cure for PMOS, but lifestyle changes and treatment options may help manage the condition. Treatment often focuses on reducing symptoms, improving quality of life, supporting fertility, and lowering the risk of long-term health issues. Because PMOS is lifelong and can affect each person differently, management is often tailored to a woman’s symptoms, goals, life stage, and health risks.

A care plan may include lifestyle changes, managing insulin resistance, medications to help regulate periods or support ovulation, treatments for acne or excess hair growth, and fertility care when needed. Routine checkups with your care team are also important to screen for and help manage PMOS-related health risks such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.³,⁴,⁶

Does PMOS increase the risk of other health conditions?

PMOS is associated with an increased risk of other health conditions, including¹,⁴,⁵,⁶

• Obesity
• Sleep apnea
• Depression and anxiety
• Type 2 diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Cardiovascular disease
• Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)
• Endometrial cancer