From Polycystic Ovary Syndrome to Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: A Systematic Search and Historical Account of the Renaming of PCOS.

Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) is one of the most common endocrine conditions affecting hundreds of millions of women globally. The former name polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) was inaccurate, underpinning the robust nomenclature change process. This review historically traces renaming efforts up to, including and beyond the PMOS global renaming process. A systematic search of Medline and Embase screened according to PRISMA 2020 methodology, identified 30 eligible papers (1995-2026). The name PCOS was repeatedly challenged on scientific grounds, with the absence of increased ovarian cysts and neglect of the breadth of the disorder, and on systemic grounds from limited ovarian classification, research, data capture, education, provider knowledge, diagnostic delay and care dissatisfaction. Historically, isolated expert opinion predominated yet failed to gain traction. The 2026 global, patient-co-led, multistep process, involved 56 organisations and 22,000+ survey respondents and generated a mandate for change, explored risks and implementation priorities and delivered a 97% consensus on the name PMOS. Implementation and embedded evaluation spans coding and classification systems, research, education, clinical guidelines and care with early adoption and predominantly positive reception across media, social media, research and academic literature, and professional societies.