As someone who was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 18, it's easy to say I follow sufficient content about the disease to have learned about its recent name change right away. My social media feed was inundated with the news. What for years was a big question mark - and then had a proper name - is now being changed to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, or PMOS.
I'll be honest, my first thought was, well, when do we get a cure? When do we get meds to get rid of this for good? But after my frustration and my immediate need to vent on Instagram Stories, I realized the upside: it opens up the conversation, one which was previously shut down often if cysts didn't appear in an ultrasound.
The name change also now includes the words "metabolic" and "endocrine," encompassing two different areas of the chronic disease which are the most affected. In fact, anyone who's had to deal with PMOS symptoms likely knows that having "cysts" is the least of the problems sometimes. For example, I don't know if I still have cysts; they were never a significant issue for me either. My period was always regular, cramps are painful but not unbearable. But because the cysts appeared on a screen, my diagnosis was confirmed. And years later when they weren't "seen," I was told I didn't necessarily have PCOS - even though I struggle with hirsutism, struggle to lose weight, and sleep apnea, among other symptoms often ignored.
The fact remains that the medical community has struggled to properly manage and handle this disease for years. I have seen so many gynecologists and endocrinologists who, to this day, do not appear to know the right treatment plan for me.
But this name change is indeed a step forward - one towards earlier diagnosis, hopefully more research, and a continuous plan to better understand this complex, frustrating disease. Every body is different, and PMOS does not look the same to everyone, which is why taking the step to remove "cystic" from the name helps better capture the ways this disease can manifest itself.
Life with PMOS can feel like an incessant to-do list: We are told to work out - but not too hard because of cortisol levels. We are told to sleep eight hours a night, yet have insomnia and racing thoughts that keep us awake at night. You can have fruit, but not too much because you might be insulin resistant. You can have carbs but not too many.
The last time I saw a gyno, we explored the possibility of me having Cushing's syndrome, a rare hormonal disorder caused by prolonged exposure to excess cortisol or triggered by pituitary or adrenal tumors. I ultimately ended up testing negative, and though part of me was fearful of a new diagnosis, another part of me welcomed the freedom of not having PMOS.
In speaking to other women with PMOS, I've found others feel similarly about the name change, which feels like a small win in a tiring battle. One woman, Yisel Reyna, said she never had cysts, and so because that symptom was missing, getting the proper diagnosis took much longer. Andrea Cortazar struggled with the birth control she was given to "handle" her cysts, giving her side effects that made her other symptoms worse. For Cortazar, adding the endocrine and metabolic part to the name allows for a better understanding of what could be wrong.
Language can be a tool to raise questions and look for answers. In its renaming, PMOS may no longer be treated monolithically. May this be the change needed to continue evolving the conversation and, hopefully, developing more individualized treatments. We may have a new name, but we'd also like healing.
Related: How to Recognize and Combat Medical Gaslighting Elsa Cavazos is a freelance writer based in Napa, CA. Her work has appeared in Vogue Mexico, Harper's Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Marie Claire, and other publications. Her translation work has appeared in publications such as The Texas Tribune and The Guardian.Hence then, the article about i have pcos and here s how i feel about its new name was published today ( ) and is available on popsugar ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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