The condition known as PCOS is now called PMOS. What to know about the name change and treatment

A hormonal condition affecting 1 in 8 women around the world just got a new name in hopes of improving care. It Is now called polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome instead of polycystic ovary syndrome.

Researchers and supporters of the change said the old name, often shortened to PCOS, is inaccurate. It reduced a complex hormonal or endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about cysts and a focus on ovaries, contributing to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment, said the Endocrine Society, a global group of physicians and scientists.

"The thought behind that is that one, there's no cysts in the ovary, so it's very confusing," said Dr. Melanie Cree, one of the authors of the Lancet article and a pediatric endocrinology expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz. "The hope was that with a more comprehensive and accurate name change, that it would start to enable and push better care."

The name change – made after 14 years of collaboration between experts and patients – was published in The Lancet on Tuesday.

Now PCOS is called PMOS