PCOS Has a New Name: Why This Matters for Women’s Health, Fertility, and Metabolism

By Dr. Kristen Burris, DAcCHM 

For decades, women have been diagnosed “Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome,” commonly known as PCOS simply said by each letter P.C.O.S. But many experts, including Dr. Burris now believe the name itself may be outdated, misleading, and medically incomplete. Dr. Burris has been wanting this change for over 2 decades. 

Why the change?

Because PCOS is about far more than ovarian cysts.

In fact, many women diagnosed with PCOS do not even have ovarian cysts at all. The women that have “cysts” are usually actually many immature follicles. These women can also have cysts and those can cause a lot of hormonal disruption and even excruciating pain, especially if they burst. Dr. Burris experienced this and it took her to her knees.

Researchers and medical professionals are increasingly recognizing PCOS as a complex metabolic and endocrine disorder involving insulin resistance (which makes weight loss almost impossible- forget the old saying “calories in = calories out”), systemic inflammation, hormone imbalance, ovulatory dysfunction, fertility difficulties, and even increased long-term risks for developing diabetes and/or cardiovascular disease. These women often have heavier menstrual bleeding and tend towards anxiety. It is a lot more complicated than too many follicles or a hairy belly. 

This is why we are finally getting around to changing the name of PCOS to PMOS: polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome to better reflect what this condition truly is: a metabolic-endocrine disorder rather than simply an ovarian condition.

Why the Name “PCOS” Is Terribly Misleading

The term “polycystic ovarian syndrome” places the focus on the ovaries only, yet many of the driving mechanisms behind PCOS affect many more aspects of a woman’s health. Some women in fact, ovulate regularly. 

Women with PCOS commonly experience:

  • Insulin resistance leading to difficult or impossible weight loss

  • Elevated androgens (testosterone)

  • Irregular or absent ovulation

  • Extreme Weight gain or very, every difficult time losing weight

  • Acne

  • Hair growth changes usually thinning hair and hair on abdomen, chest, nipples, back or chin

  • Chronic inflammation and pain

  • Fatigue especially around ovulation and menstruation but sometimes chronic

  • Infertility

  • Higher miscarriage risk

  • Blood sugar dysregulation

  • Anxiety and mood swings

This is clearly not simply an ovarian problem.

This is a whole-body metabolic and hormonal condition and you can see it runs in families.

Many patients spend years frustrated because they are told to “just lose weight” or “eat less, workout more” or go on birth control, which of course prevents the women from getting pregnant. And these providers tend not to  truly investigate the root causes driving their frustrating symptoms.

A Shift Toward Metabolic and Endocrine Acknowlegement and Understanding

Several international experts and organizations have proposed that PCOS should eventually be renamed PMOS to better reflect its true nature, there is no ICD-9 code yet... but the name has gone viral and women are thrilled. 

While no official universal replacement name has been finalized, many proposed names emphasize:

  • Metabolic dysfunction

  • Endocrine imbalance

  • Ovulatory dysfunction

  • Insulin resistance

  • Reproductive hormone disruption

This shift is critically important because language shapes treatment.

When patients and providers think of PCOS only as “ovarian cysts,” critical metabolic and inflammatory factors are almost always overlooked and sadly many are gaslit about their weight being told it is their fault.

I was once told by a provider that “no one in Auschwitz was overweight”, implying rudely that my inability to lose weight was exclusively my failure to not starve myself appropriately. Not only was that comment highly offensive, it crushed Dr. Burris. She had tried so hard her entire life to manage this unmanageable metabolic disorder with so much finger pointing and blame placed on her. Providers almost never believed her when she would share exactly how she was exercising and precisely what she was eating. The shame and blame was absolutely emotionally terrorizing for her and her patients often experienced the exact same thing from their doctors.  

PCOS and Fertility

One of the most devastating effects of PCOS now being called PMOS, for many women is infertility.

PMOS is one of the leading causes of:

  • Irregular ovulation (often skipping months at a time)

  • Anovulation (no ovulation)

  • Poor egg quality

  • Implantation challenges

  • Recurrent miscarriage

However, there truly is hope. 

 At Eagle Acupuncture, Dr. Kristen Burris, DAcCHM not only combatted her own devastating PCOS diagnosis resulting in the birth of two children, but she also treats PCOS/PMOS and takes a root-cause approach to fertility by combining a truly one-of-a-kind approach:

  • Acupuncture

  • Traditional Chinese herbal medicine 

  • Functional medicine lab interpretation

  • Nutrition support

  • Nervous system regulation

  • Hypothalamus Pituitary Ovarian Regulation

  • Personalized metabolic evaluation

Rather than masking symptoms alone, or even preventing the possibilty of pregnancy all together with birth control, instead her goal is to identify why a woman’s body is struggling to ovulate, regulate insulin, balance hormones, or sustain a precious pregnancy.

The Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) recognized metabolic and hormonal patterns and disharmonies thousands of years before modern terms like “PCOS” or “PMOS” existed.

In TCM, women with PMOS commonly present with patterns involving:

  • Dampness and phlegm accumulation

  • Blood stagnation

  • Kidney deficiency

  • Liver qi stagnation

  • Spleen Qi deficiency affecting metabolism, mood and menstruation.

This is why individualized treatment matters so deeply and why Dr. Burris gets such good results.

No two PMOS patients are exactly alike, ever. 

One woman may struggle primarily with insulin resistance and impossible weight gain, and repeated miscarriage while another woman may be thin, inflamed, anxious, and anovulatory.

Personalized acupuncture and TCM herbal medicine strategies can help regulate menstrual cycles, improve ovulation, support egg quality, reduce inflammation, and improve overall hormonal communication from the brain to the body.

Why Root Cause Medicine Matters

Women with PMOS are often told their only fertility options are:

  • Birth control (not going to get pregnant this way)

  • Metformin

  • Fertility drugs like Letrozole or Clomid

  • IUI

  • IVF

While these tools absolutely have their place, and Dr. Burris will refer out for those when appropriate, many women are searching for more comprehensive solutions that address the underlying dysfunction contributing to their symptoms. One of Dr. Burris patients had been trying for 20 years before she helped her ovulate! 20 years!

Functional medicine testing may reveal in a woman:

  • Insulin resistance

  • Blood sugar instability

  • Thyroid dysfunction

  • Auto-immune thyroid problems

  • Chronic inflammation

  • Gut imbalances

  • Nutrient deficiencies

  • Autoimmune triggers

  • Elevated stress hormones

  • Vaginal Biome Disharmony or Infection

When these underlying factors are addressed, many women begin seeing major improvements not only in fertility, but also in their entire health:

  • Energy

  • Sleep

  • Weight regulation

  • Mood Balancing

  • Skin Clarity

  • Menstrual or ovulation regularity

  • Overall quality of life

The Future of PMOS Care

The conversation around renaming PCOS to PMOS reflects something much bigger happening in medicine:

Women are finally being heard. Yay! 

Patients have long said that PCOS affects nearly every aspect of their health—not just their ovaries.

A more accurate name, like PMOS may help improve:

  • Earlier diagnosis

  • Better patient education

  • More comprehensive treatment

  • Greater awareness of metabolic risks and treatment

  • Insurance covering GLP-1 medications for PMOS patients

  • Improved fertility outcomes

  • Reduced stigma and gaslighting

  • Less confusion for the patient and provider

Most importantly, it may help women feel validated in understanding that their symptoms are real, complex, and deserving of deeper investigation and maybe the most important: it is NOT YOUR FAULT.

Looking Beyond the Label

The women with PMOS deserve a far more comprehensive and root-cause-centered approach than many women have historically received. Doctors must refer out for a whole person approach. Drugs can be a good option, but holistic doctors, like Dr. Burris can actually heal the patient and improve the quality of their life. 

Women struggling with irregular cycles, infertility, hormone imbalance, fatigue, weight changes, obesity or recurrent miscarriage deserve answers not band-aids or shame blaming.

 Dr. Kristen Burris, DAcCHM focuses on integrating the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine with modern functional medicine insight to help patients uncover the deeper reasons their bodies may be struggling and create a path toward healing, healthy weight without starvation, hormone balance, and fertility restoration.

Colin Eggleston