A condition that has left women for decades dealing with symptoms like insulin resistance, weight gain, infertility, excess body hair, impacts on mental health and more, now has a new name. After 90 years, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). This may come as a relief to many women who have felt brushed aside or not fully heard by the medical community dealing with many symptoms that didn't have anything to do with the female reproductive system.

An estimated one in 10 women in the U.S. is affected by PMOS, which impacts multiple systems in the body.

Dr. Jennifer Ohlendorf, associate professor of nursing and interim nursing Ph.D. program director, says this condition has long been misunderstood.

"PMOS is a condition where many cells in the body can't respond to the hormone insulin in the normal way, including the cells in the ovary that turn testosterone into estrogen," Ohlendorf says. "This leads to two primary processes: 1) The cells can't take glucose into the cells to make energy efficiently, so that glucose is deposited in the body as fat. 2) The imbalance in sex hormones means that the process that typically happens each month - the body recruiting an ovarian follicle, maturing that follicle into an ovum, and releasing that ovum - does not happen consistently. Many months, a follicle is recruited and only partially matured, or the follicle is fully matured but is never released."

The insulin resistance makes people with the disorder gain weight more easily and is the reason that individuals with this condition also have a significantly higher risk of other cardiometabolic conditions, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Ohlendorf says, "The imbalance in sex hormones, most notably the excesses of the androgenic hormone testosterone, causes most of the other signs and symptoms: 1) hirsutism (male pattern facial and chest hair); 2) male-pattern hair loss; 3) excessive facial and back acne. However, this is a condition that has often not been diagnosed until the person has the most commonly cited signs of hyperandrogenism (high testosterone): irregular menses, irregular or absent ovulation - which result in infertility."

Diagnosing PMOS requires that a person have two of the three following signs or symptoms:

1. Clinical or biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism (lab value showing high testosterone OR having male pattern excessive hair growth)

1. Ovulatory dysfunction (irregular menses)

1. Findings of multiple ovarian follicles at various stages of maturity present in the ovaries OR abnormal lab levels of a hormone called anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) that indicates levels of ovarian function

Women's health movement

Between social media platforms and more women becoming healthcare professionals and researchers, women's health issues are coming into the spotlight. However, that's not the entire story.

Ohlendorf says the way science has always worked is that public breakthroughs come after decades of infrastructure leading to something that fundamentally changes practice and the public sees.

"This current wave of women's health scientific breakthroughs can be attributed to the way that National Institutes of Health policy and then law changed starting in the 1990s, and also to diversification of the scientific and healthcare workforce," Ohlendorf says. "The energy brought by women in the community came at the culmination of this infrastructure to create a synergistic force to finally create at least some of evidence we need for reproductive health conditions, gynecological conditions, and health conditions that have different impact based on sex and gender."

For women who are dealing with symptoms believe to be connected to PMOS but have not been diagnosed, Ohlendorf suggests the steps below:

1. Find a provider who is knowledgeable about PMOS. This could be a gynecologist or certified nurse-midwife, a family medicine provider, or an internal medicine provider.

1. Read about PMOS from reputable sources. One resource Ohlendorf recommends is Monash University's PMOS website, app, podcast and reading materials.

1. While you wait for your appointment, document your symptoms so you can give your provider a good picture of what's happening. Track the day your periods start and how heavy they are, mark down whether you have had any recent increases in weight, make some notes about your eating habits and how often you are doing physical activity, and make notes about any hair on your face or acne.

1. Before the appointment, write down any questions you'd like addressed so you will remember them. Also, write down a few goals you'd like to work toward regarding your health. Bring a notepad and take notes during the visit.

1. Follow up on all the recommendations from your provider, including labs, tests, medications, and lifestyle changes like heart-healthy eating and moving your body. All of these will help your overall well-being.

About the expert:

Dr. Jennifer Ohlendorf is an associate professor of nursing and interim nursing Ph.D. program director in the College of Nursing. Her research centers on how nurses use their health promotion skills to act as health coaches for women to promote uptake of physical activity and healthy eating behaviors during life transitions.