PMOS Association

06/08/2026

For many of us, the term PCOS has been part of our lives for years—sometimes decades. It is the term under which we found answers, found community, and finally felt seen. It is understandable that changing that language can feel uncomfortable or even unnecessary.

At the PMOS Association, we want to acknowledge that change is hard, as we ourselves evolve from PCOSupport.

At the same time, medicine evolves. As scientific understanding grows, the words we use sometimes need to grow too. The move toward PMOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome) reflects an effort to better describe what so many people have long experienced: that this condition is not defined by ovarian cysts alone, and for many people, its effects reach far beyond the ovaries. Hormonal, metabolic, inflammatory, and whole-body impacts have always been part of the picture.

Choosing to embrace updated language does not erase anyone’s diagnosis, history, advocacy, or identity. If you were diagnosed with PCOS, your experience remains valid. The community built under that name remains important.

Our hope is simply this: that language that more fully reflects our current understanding can lead to greater awareness, earlier recognition, better research, more inclusive care, and ultimately better outcomes.

We invite curiosity. We welcome questions. We honour the past while making space for the future.

Whatever words you use today—you belong here.

05/19/2026

Is it alphabet soup? Or an acronym?

05/14/2026

05/12/2026

Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) is the new name for the condition previously known as Polycystic O***y Syndrome (PCOS) — a change that accurately reflects the condition, which affects 1 in 8 women, or more than 170 million worldwide.

The changes follows 14 years of research and advocacy and the largest global engagement ever for a medical name change, with more than 22,000 survey responses, workshops with women who have lived experience, health professionals, and the involvement of 56 patient organizations and professional societies around the world, including the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association, Inc.

The term PCOS focused on “cysts” and ovaries, even though many women don’t have cysts. PMOS is a long-term endocrine/ hormonal and metabolic condition, and the misunderstanding has contributed to delayed diagnosis, poor quality of care and lack of research and funding.

Women living with the condition led the call for change — and their voices matter ❤️ 86% of patients and 76% of health professionals support the name change.

The change to PMOS will improve understanding, awareness, earlier diagnosis, better care and more research.

We recognise that this change will take time and there is a 3 year transition period where both names will co-exist together - the work doesn’t stop here! Resources in multiple languages available: https://bit.ly/3V85nPJ Read the paper: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00717-8/fulltext

Access a range of resources that are available for women with PCOS.

10/28/2025

Posting from the ASRM Congress: Here is poster #110 presented by Tina Yi Jin Hsieh from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center highlighting her research on GLP-1 receptor agonist trends in PCOS. We are looking forward to more results and analysis of outcomes.

(ASRM = American Associarion of Reproductive Medicine)

10/25/2025

It was my honor to participate on the patient advocacy panel during today’s AE-PCOS meeting. What a fantastic group of patient advocates!

Patient advocacy and support groups - session chaired by Kathy Hoeger

🎤 Research priorities in regarding infertility and pregnancy

10/23/2025

Our Founder is at it again!

The first meeting of the Androgen Excess Society was 23 years ago. I was there. And now it’s called the Androgen Excess & PCOS Society. And here I am. 23 years of scientists from around the world talking about PCOS research. Stay tuned for insights from the meeting.

10/10/2025

If you are TTC (trying to conceive) with PCOS, or even if you are not yet at that point in your life but just want to understand it, Join Christine Updegraff this coming Sunday at 12 noon Eastern Time (USA) for this FREE webinar to learn more about the impact of PCOS on fertility, and practical steps you can take to optimize your body for conception. Sign up here!

FREE webinar - Build your knowledge for success in building your family with PCOS as a factor.

09/30/2025

**Today, on the last day of PCOS Awareness Month, I’m issuing a demand. Yes, I said it, demand.**

**STOP describing PCOS as a “disorder of reproductive age”!!!**

That phrasing is scientifically outdated, misleading, and damaging.

🔹 Emerging evidence and expert opinion increasingly recognize that PCOS can begin in the peripubertal years. But no matter when it develops, it persists throughout life — it does *not* magically vanish at menopause.
🔹 Current adolescent diagnostic guidelines require **irregular menstrual cycles** (appropriately defined relative to years post-menarche) **plus clinical or biochemical hyperandrogenism**, after excluding other mimicking conditions. ([PubMed][3])
🔹 The use of pelvic ultrasound or AMH levels for diagnosis is *not* recommended in adolescents, reinforcing that the condition cannot be shoehorned into adult “reproductive age” definitions alone. ([BioMed Central][2])

OVERLOOKED RISKS WHEN CARE STOPS AT MENOPAUSE:
🔹Cardiovascular Disease: PCOS confers a higher risk of hypertension, coronary artery disease, and stroke. These risks increase after menopause as estrogen’s protective effects wane. Ignoring PCOS at this stage overlooks an important predictor of cardiovascular morbidity.
🔹Type 2 Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Insulin resistance remains a cornerstone feature of PCOS. After menopause, weight gain and loss of estrogen further compound this. Failure to screen and intervene means missed opportunities to prevent diabetes, fatty liver disease, and systemic inflammation.
🔹Endometrial Cancer: Lifelong anovulation and unopposed estrogen can increase endometrial cancer risk, and this risk doesn’t vanish at menopause. Some studies suggest women with PCOS may carry a higher lifetime risk.
🔹Mental Health & Cognitive Outcomes: PCOS is associated with higher lifetime prevalence of depression and anxiety. These mental health burdens may persist or worsen post-menopause, especially if medical follow-up is withdrawn. Emerging evidence links insulin resistance and inflammation to cognitive decline and dementia risk, another overlooked consequence.
🔹Bone Health: The relationship is complex: higher androgens may have protective effects on bone density, but insulin resistance and chronic inflammation may offset these. Without ongoing attention, osteoporosis risk may be underestimated.
🔹Quality of Life & Symptom Burden: Hirsutism, hair loss, and weight struggles do not necessarily resolve at menopause. Dismissing PCOS as “done” can leave women unsupported in managing symptoms that affect self-image and daily life.

Framing PCOS solely as a “reproductive disorder” erases the lived reality and risk profile of millions:
→ Girls who show early signs before puberty
→ Women whose metabolic, cardiovascular, and hormonal burdens endure long after menopause

It’s time for medical schools, professional societies, journals, CME programs, and clinical guidelines to evolve.

**Change the language. Change the framing. Change the care.**

Doctors. Researchers. Journal editors. Educators.
Will you step into the future — or cling to an outdated paradigm that ignores much of the story?

Christine Updegraff (nee Gray-DeZarn)
Founder and Chairman
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association, Inc.

[1]: https://journals.lww.com/co-pediatrics/Fulltext/2019/08000/The_diagnosis_and_treatment_of_PCOS_in.21.aspx?generateEpub=Article%7Cco-pediatrics%3A2019%3A08000%3A00021%7C10.1097%2Fmop.0000000000000778%7C&utm_source=chatgpt.com "The diagnosis and treatment of PCOS in adolescents"
[2]: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-025-03901-w?utm_source=chatgpt.com "International evidence-based recommendations for polycystic ..."
[3]: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40945763/?utm_source=chatgpt.com "Update on diagnosis of polycystic o***y syndrome during ..."

09/18/2025

If you live in the Northeast USA, don't miss this event this coming Saturday, September 20.

For those of you in the Northeast USA with PCOS, I am pleased to announce that I have been added to the line-up for PCOS CON NYC! Join me and a full day of speakers and fellowship in New York City this Saturday, September 20. It's not too late to sign up!

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-pcos-con-new-york-tickets-1378642178869?msockid=14dd735881a0671219d9650580ef6639