# Can a name change transform PCOS outcomes for women?

An episode of [Science Weekly](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/136697669), 21 May 2026, 16 min.

Audio: https://flex.acast.com/audio.guim.co.uk/2026/05/20-54267-gnl.sci.20260520.eb.pcos_pmos.mp3

After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome – which affects as many as one in eight women – has been renamed. The condition is caused by high levels of androgens, which can lead to symptoms such as excess hair, weight gain and irregular periods. To understand why campaigners wanted it renamed, and what its new name – polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) – could mean for patients, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s science correspondent, Nicola Davis, and Rachel, a campaigner from the charity Verity. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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