PCOS Has a New Name. The Reason Should Have Always Been Obvious.
- Dr. Jan Dipasupil
- May 14
- 9 min read
This week, The Lancet renamed the condition formerly known as Polycystic Ovary
Syndrome. Dr. Jan Dipasupil, medical director of Jan Medical Group, on what changed, why one in eight women in the Philippines should care, and the multisystem treatment that has always been the actual answer.
On Tuesday, the world’s most respected medical journal made one of the most
consequential nomenclature changes in modern endocrinology. After a four-year global consensus process involving 14,360 patients and health professionals across world regions, including the Philippines, The Lancet published the new name for what 170 million women have known until this week as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
The condition is now called Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome. The acronym is PMOS.
For the one in eight Filipinas who live with this condition, the name change is not a
footnote. It is a clinical recognition decades overdue.
What "PCOS" Got Wrong
The word “polycystic” implied pathological ovarian cysts. There are none. There never
were. What appears on ultrasound as small cyst-like structures are arrested follicles, a
downstream consequence of the actual disease, which lives several layers upstream of
the ovaries themselves.
For half a century, women were told their ovaries were the problem. Their treatment was framed accordingly. A pill. Sometimes a fertility drug. Sometimes, dismally, the
suggestion that weight loss alone would fix it. When the pill did not resolve their symptoms, when the weight would not come off, when the cycles stayed irregular and
the acne persisted and the mood plummeted, the implication was that the patient had
failed.
She had not failed. The name had failed her.
“I have seen this in my consultation room for years,” Dr. Jan says. “A woman comes in on her third oral contraceptive in two years. She has gained weight on it. She is depressed by the weight, which her gynaecologist has told her is the only treatment available. The pill is doing what it was designed to do, which is to suppress ovulation and stabilise her cycle. It is not designed to address her insulin resistance, her metabolic dysfunction, or the inflammation driving her symptoms. She has been treated for the wrong layer.”
What "PMOS" Acknowledges
Polyendocrine. Metabolic. Ovarian.
Three words, in that specific order, because the order is the point. The endocrine
disturbance comes first. The metabolic consequences come second. The ovarian
manifestations come third, and are downstream of the first two.
PMOS, as The Lancet’s authors describe it, is a multisystem condition driven by insulin
resistance, hyperandrogenism, and neuroendocrine abnormalities. Eighty-five percent
of women with PMOS have insulin resistance. Even seventy-five percent of lean women with PMOS have it. The metabolic features, central adiposity, dyslipidaemia,
hypertension, fatty liver disease, are not side effects. They are the disease itself,
expressing itself across the body.
This is why the pill alone does not work. The pill addresses one organ. PMOS is happening across an entire metabolic system.
The Filipino Reality
In the Philippines, one in eight women carries this diagnosis, and far more carry it
undiagnosed. The Lancet paper notes that up to seventy percent of women with PMOS
remain undiagnosed globally, and that figure is almost certainly higher here, where
reproductive complaints are routinely deferred and primary care access remains
uneven.
The women who do find their way to a consultation arrive carrying a familiar story. The
irregular cycles since adolescence. The weight that climbed steadily through their
twenties and refused to leave. The acne along the jawline that no facial has resolved.
The hair where it should not be, the hair thinning where it should. The exhaustion. The
mood that has darkened, season by season, alongside the body that no longer feels like hers.
She has tried the pill. She has tried metformin. She has tried diet after diet. She has been told, sometimes by physicians, sometimes by relatives, sometimes by both, that if
she would only commit to losing weight, the rest would resolve.
This is the cruelest thing told to a woman with PMOS, because the very metabolic
dysfunction the disease produces is what makes losing weight on willpower alone
almost impossible.
What The Multisystem Answer Looks Like
If PMOS is a polyendocrine metabolic condition with ovarian manifestations, then its
treatment must engage all three systems. At Jan Medical Group, this is how we have
approached the condition long before the name changed this week.
The metabolic system, first.
Insulin resistance is the engine. It cannot be reasoned with, it can only be addressed. For the right candidate, after a full clinical and body composition assessment, this may mean metformin. It may mean a GLP-1 medication — Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Wegovy (semaglutide), or in some cases other agents in the same class — both of which are now legally and locally available in the Philippines following their launches in January and April of this year. The Lancet’s authors explicitly include anti-obesity pharmacological agents in the evidence-based treatment menu for PMOS. This is no longer off-label thinking. This is published medicine.
The body composition, simultaneously.
Weight loss is not enough. Muscle loss alongside weight loss makes the underlying insulin resistance worse, not better. Skeletalmuscle is the largest insulin-sensitive tissue in the body, and the largest determinant of resting metabolic rate. For women with PMOS, particularly those who arrive with low lean muscle mass, building muscle is a clinical intervention, not a vanity. At Jan Medical Group, this is where Emsculpt NEO joins the protocol. Thirty-minute sessions that stimulate twenty thousand muscle contractions, delivered four times across two weeks, supported by resistance training prescribed alongside. The metabolic engine is built,
not borrowed.
The endocrine and reproductive system, in coordination.
Oral contraceptives still have a role in PMOS care, particularly for cycle regulation, contraception, and androgen-mediated symptoms. But they are one instrument in the protocol, not the entire protocol. The medication is chosen, dosed, and timed in the context of the patient’s metabolic plan, not in isolation from it.
The mood, throughout.
Depression and anxiety are not character flaws in a woman with PMOS. They are clinical features of the disease, listed in The Lancet’s own description of the condition, driven in part by the very hormonal dysregulation the treatment is designed to address. We name this directly with every client. The mood often improves as the metabolic engine improves. This is not a coincidence.
The Assessment That Begins It
Every PMOS protocol at Jan Medical Group begins with a full body composition analysis, available at both the Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City branches. The analyzer measures lean muscle mass, visceral fat, body water, basal metabolic rate, and segmental fat distribution. It is the foundation that allows us to decide, with the patient, whether medication is appropriate, what kind, at what dose, and what muscle-building intervention should sit alongside it.
The scale is the last number we look at. It is also the least informative.
“The Lancet changed the name of the condition because the old name was incomplete,” Dr. Jan says. “Our job is to make sure the treatment is also no longer incomplete. A pill alone is not the answer. A diet alone is not the answer. A device alone is not the answer. The answer is a multisystem protocol, built around the specific woman in the room, that respects what PMOS actually is.”
What This Week Means For You
If you have been diagnosed with PCOS, you now have PMOS. The diagnosis has not
changed. The biology has not changed. The acronym on your medical chart will, over the next three years, transition under the global implementation plan The Lancet’s authorshave published.
What has changed is the framing. The disease is no longer described as your ovaries
malfunctioning. It is described as a multisystem endocrine and metabolic condition that has consequences in your ovaries, your cycle, your metabolism, your weight, your skin, and your mood. This framing is both more accurate and, for most women who have lived with the diagnosis, profoundly more honest.
If the treatment you have been receiving has only addressed one layer of this, it is worth a conversation about the others.
That conversation is the appointment.
Consultations for PMOS care, including body composition analysis, metabolic
assessment, GLP-1 medication evaluation, and Emsculpt NEO protocols, are available at both Jan Medical Group branches, Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City. Consultations with Jan Paolo P. Dipasupil, MD, and the physicians of Jan Medical Group are by appointment.
Enquiries: clinic@janmedicalgroup.ph.
Quick Reference
PMOS, briefly
Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) is the new name for the
condition formerly known as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), agreed by global
consensus and published in The Lancet on May 12, 2026. The name change reflects the
scientific evolution in understanding of the disease, which is now recognised as a
multisystem endocrine and metabolic condition rather than a primarily ovarian disorder.
Key features of PMOS include insulin resistance (present in 85% of patients),
hyperandrogenism, central adiposity, dyslipidaemia, irregular menstrual cycles,
anovulation, infertility, acne, hirsutism, alopecia, anxiety, and depression. PMOS affects
one in eight women globally, including approximately one in eight Filipinas.
Treatment is now understood as multisystem. The evidence base includes lifestyle
intervention, metformin, anti-obesity pharmacological agents (including GLP-1
medications such as tirzepatide and semaglutide), oral contraceptives for specific
indications, and increasingly, muscle-building interventions to improve insulin
sensitivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between PCOS and PMOS? PMOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic
Ovarian Syndrome) is the new official name for the condition formerly known as PCOS
(Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). The biology, diagnosis, and treatment are the same. The
name was changed in May 2026 by a global consensus process published in The Lancet because the term “polycystic” was scientifically inaccurate (the ovaries do not contain pathological cysts) and the focus on ovaries obscured the multisystem endocrine and metabolic nature of the disease.
Why was PCOS renamed? Three main reasons. First, scientific accuracy — the ovaries
do not have pathological cysts in this condition; what is seen on ultrasound is arrested
follicular development. Second, the old name obscured the disease’s multisystem
nature (endocrine, metabolic, reproductive, dermatological, psychological). Third, the
old name reinforced stigma and contributed to delayed diagnosis and patient
dissatisfaction.
Does the rename change my diagnosis or treatment? No, not in itself. If you have
been diagnosed with PCOS, you now have PMOS — same condition, new name. The
diagnostic criteria remain the same. However, the rename does formalise the
multisystem framework, which means that treatment plans focusing only on the ovaries (e.g., the pill alone) are increasingly recognised as incomplete.
Why does the pill alone often not work for PMOS? Oral contraceptives are designed
to suppress ovulation and stabilise menstrual cycles. They are effective for these
specific outcomes. However, they do not address the underlying insulin resistance and
metabolic dysfunction that drive most PMOS symptoms. For many women, the pill
stabilises one feature of the disease while other features (weight gain, mood symptoms, metabolic risk) continue or worsen.
Can GLP-1 medications like Mounjaro and Wegovy help PMOS? Yes, in appropriate
candidates. The international evidence base (including the 2023 PCOS Guidelines and a 2024 systematic review on anti-obesity pharmacological agents for PCOS) now includes GLP-1 medications as treatment options. These medications address the insulin resistance and weight management challenges that are core to PMOS. Both Mounjaro (tirzepatide, launched in the Philippines in January 2026) and Wegovy (semaglutide, launched April 2026) are now legally available locally. The decision to prescribe is made by a physician based on full clinical and metabolic assessment.
Why is muscle-building important for PMOS? Skeletal muscle is the largest insulin-
sensitive tissue in the body. Building lean muscle mass directly improves insulin
sensitivity, which is the central metabolic problem in PMOS. Muscle also raises resting
metabolic rate, which supports sustainable weight management. For women with PMOSwho have low lean muscle mass on body composition analysis, muscle-building
interventions (resistance training, supported by treatments like Emsculpt NEO) are now
an evidence-aligned part of the protocol.
What is Emsculpt NEO and how does it help with PMOS? Emsculpt NEO is a non-
invasive device that uses HIFEM (High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic) technology
to stimulate approximately 20,000 muscle contractions per 30-minute session,
alongside radiofrequency for simultaneous fat reduction. For women with PMOS and low lean muscle mass, Emsculpt NEO is used as an adjunct to resistance training to
accelerate muscle building, with the goal of improving insulin sensitivity and resting
metabolic rate.
Is PMOS common in the Philippines? Yes. The condition affects approximately one in
eight women globally, and prevalence in Asia, including the Philippines, is similar. Up to
70% of women with PMOS remain undiagnosed worldwide, and that figure is likely
higher in the Philippines where access to specialist endocrine and metabolic
assessment is uneven.
Why are depression and anxiety associated with PMOS? Depression and anxiety are
recognised clinical features of PMOS, listed in The Lancet description of the condition.
They are driven by a combination of factors: hormonal dysregulation, chronic
inflammation, the psychological burden of weight management struggles, and the
cumulative experience of having symptoms dismissed or attributed to personal failure.
The mood symptoms often improve as the underlying metabolic dysfunction is
addressed.
Where can I get assessed for PMOS in the Philippines? Jan Medical Group offers
physician-led PMOS care at both its Bonifacio Global City and Quezon City branches.
Assessment includes a clinical consultation, full body composition analysis, metabolic
workup, and a personalised treatment plan that may include lifestyle protocol,
medication, and adjunct interventions such as Emsculpt NEO.
What is the timeline for the global PMOS rename? The Lancet published the
consensus paper on May 12, 2026. A coordinated three-year transition period is now in
effect, during which the new name will be integrated into electronic health records,
clinical guidelines (with the next International Guidelines update scheduled for 2028),
the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), medical education, and patient
resources.
About the author
Jan Paolo P. Dipasupil, MD is the medical director of Jan Medical Group, a physician-led medical aesthetics and wellness clinic with flagships in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig andQuezon City. He is Vice President at the Philippine Digital Medicine Society (PDMS). His clinical practice integrates obesity medicine and lifestyle medicine, with a particular focus on the post-weight-loss client on GLP-1 therapy.
Comments