PCOS Has Caused Me Major Anxiety, The PMOS Name Change Has Been A Long Time Coming

Global experts have called for PCOS to be renamed to PMOS. As someone who suffers from the condition, it will be interesting to see how the new name change impacts diagnosis – particularly as it’s thought up to 70% of affected individuals remain undiagnosed.

Women’s health is chronically underfunded, under-researched and most importantly, misunderstood.

I can count on both hands the number of times I have gone to a doctor to discuss a female-health-related issue and have been told to change my contraceptive pill.

The first signs of trouble for me were during my final year at university when my period stopped of its own accord for a whole year. I was going through some crappy, personal stuff at the time so I’d initially thought it was stress-induced.

I went to the doctor, who also thought it was down to stress, and said I should change my pill. It wasn’t until two or three other worrying symptoms began to appear – despite being on the pill – that I thought I should really get checked out again.

The diagnosis process took over two years and I had many different tests to work out what was happening. It was a long time to sit in my discomfort and imagine all of the worst-case scenarios. It had a profound impact on my state of mind and still does to this day.

The condition causes my hormones to fluctuate from month to month. I never know when my period is, and my weight fluctuates quite drastically (it can also make it hard for me to lose weight if I want to). It covers so many areas of my life and, over the years, has had a massive impact on my mental health.

I struggle with anxiety and anxiety-related depression, and I am convinced my PMOS struggles have been at least part of the cause of that.

It’s made me feel like less of a woman at times, and that’s been very hard for my brain to grapple with. What do you mean I don’t get a period regularly? What do you mean I grow excessive hair? What does this all mean for my future health?

My mood has been shaped so much by this – and it’s been a difficult road filled with so many unknowns.

In the medical journal The Lancet, a team of experts have called for a change to the condition’s name, arguing the existing acronym is “inaccurate” and may even lead to missed diagnoses.

In simple terms, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) should be renamed to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), they said.

This is important because it allows the name to cover more areas, not just assuming that every PMOS sufferer has ovarian cysts (which they don’t – I should know, I’m one of them).

Under the new name, PMOS is characterised by changes in hormones, with impacts on weight, metabolic health, mental health, skin, and the reproductive system. The name reflects the multi-system issue it is. Beforehand, the condition could be misdiagnosed because the term didn’t cover enough areas.

Dr Victoria Sephton, chief medical officer at Care Fertility, also notes the renaming will help “validate the experiences of patients who have historically felt dismissed or misunderstood”.

In theory, experts believe the name change should improve care and diagnosis. If so, this will be an incredibly positive change and should mean PMOS is taken far more seriously – and those women who remain undiagnosed get the answers they so desperately need.

For too long, women’s health has been pushed to the side. To see a condition that’s shaped my adult years be properly recognised through something as simple as a name change is cathartic – and I hope it will mean many more women can get the help they need to navigate what is a complex, multi-system issue, and get the support they need.