Journey from PCOD to PCOS and PMOS: The Ovarian Odyssey A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: The condition first described by Stein and Leventhal in 1935 has carried at least three names in clinical use: the colloquial “polycystic ovarian disease” (PCOD), the internationally codified “polycystic ovary syndrome” (PCOS), and, as of 2026, “polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome” (PMOS). Each transition reflects an evolving scientific understanding of a condition that was never confined to the ovary.
Objective: To trace, synthesise, and critically appraise the ninety-year nomenclature journey from PCOD through PCOS to PMOS, integrating diagnostic-criteria evolution, pathophysiology, epidemiology, and the 2026 global consensus renaming process.
Methods: A structured literature search of PubMed and Google Scholar (inception to September 2026; terms including PCOS, PCOD, nomenclature, diagnostic criteria, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome) was combined with in-depth analysis of the 2026 Lancet Health Policy global consensus paper, the primary source documenting the renaming process itself.
Results: Diagnostic criteria progressively broadened from the restrictive 1990 NIH definition through the 2003 Rotterdam criteria to the 2006 Androgen Excess Society criteria and the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline, while accumulating evidence confirmed neuroendocrine, metabolic, reproductive, psychological, and dermatological involvement. A rigorous multistep global consensus process engaging 56 organisations and more than 14,000 survey respondents culminated in February 2026 in the new name PMOS, which drops the misleading reference to ovarian cysts while explicitly capturing polyendocrine and metabolic dysfunction.
Conclusion: The journey from PCOD to PCOS to PMOS shows how nomenclature must keep pace with pathophysiological understanding; PMOS offers a scientifically accurate, less stigmatising framework poised to reshape diagnosis, research, and care worldwide.