PCOS (Now Called PMOS)

Does this sound like you?

You've been told your labs are "normal," but nothing about your symptoms feels normal.

Your cycle shows up when it wants to, sometimes every 45 days, sometimes not for months. The acne along your jawline has its own heartbeat. No matter what you eat or how much you exercise, the weight around your belly won't budge. As for your hair, you've too much where you don't want it, and not enough where it matters.

Maybe you've spent years trying to explain a pattern that no single appointment allowed the time to hear in full. Maybe you've had to become the one who connects the dots, the cycle, the skin, the weight, the mood, because each symptom keeps getting treated as its own separate problem rather than one connected picture.

If you're one of the lucky ones, your symptoms have been recognised, investigated, diagnosed, and you're happy with the medical treatment and support you're receiving.

If you've found yourself here, it's more likely because you're still searching for clues, answers, or someone who will take all of your struggles seriously and help you work through them together.

How is PCOS diagnosed, and why is now called PMOS?

Historically, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) was largely diagnosed depending on whether two out of three Rotterdam criteria were met: irregular ovulation, signs of excess androgens, or polycystic ovaries on ultrasound. In practice, the name itself skewed things toward that last one. Because "polycystic" pointed everyone toward the ovaries, scans were sometimes read as "normal," and the diagnosis was ruled out even when the other two criteria were clearly present, a significant reason an estimated 70% of women with the condition remain undiagnosed.

What led to the recent name change was two decades of research showing that PCOS is a complex condition, involving far more than the ovaries. Studies increasingly linked it to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (found in roughly 34 to 46% of women with PCOS), a meaningfully raised risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and significantly elevated rates of anxiety and depression- findings substantial enough that the 2023 international evidence-based PCOS guidelines began recommending cardiovascular risk assessment for every woman diagnosed. That weight of evidence is exactly why the name was formally changed in 2026 to PMOS, Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, following a global consensus process backed by dozens of leading endocrine and patient organisations, to reflect a whole-body hormonal and metabolic condition rather than an ovarian one. PMOS is one of the most common hormonal conditions affecting women of reproductive age, and it's the leading cause of ovulation-related infertility.

The Conventional Path

The diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols are unaffected by the renaming of PCOS to PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome).

PCOS (or PMOS) is typically diagnosed using the Rotterdam criteria, which requires the presence of at least two of the following three markers: irregular or absent ovulation, signs of excess androgens (on bloodwork or clinically, like acne or hair growth), and polycystic-appearing ovaries on ultrasound.

Once diagnosed, the combined pill, anti-androgen medication, or Metformin for insulin resistance are often used medically to manage hormone signalling and metabolic symptoms, especially if fertility isn't the immediate goal. And for many women, these are sufficient forms of relief.

What they don't always do is address what's driving the symptoms in the first place, which can leave you managing growing symptoms without ever quite understanding them.

A Whole-Body Approach

You may have spent years being your own researcher on this - reading everything you can find, trying different approaches, seeing different specialists - and still feeling like no one has stepped back to look at all your symptoms together.

PCOS is more complex than irregular periods or ovarian function alone. Insulin resistance, chronic low-grade inflammation, gut health, sleep, and stress physiology can all influence how it shows up - and because it can look so different from one woman to the next, one-size-fits-all approaches often fall short of what you actually need.

You shouldn’t have to keep piecing this together alone. My role is to help you connect the dots, understand what may be contributing to how you feel, and work out where to focus first.

The encouraging part is that there is growing evidence for the role of blood-sugar-balancing meals, targeted movement, sleep, mindfulness, and specific micronutrients in supporting cycle-related symptoms, ovulation, metabolic markers, and nervous system regulation - positively influencing how you feel day to day.

That's where I come in.

And here's what that actually looks like in practice

How I Work

My job is to help you make sense of what's actually going on beneath the symptoms - not just the ones you came in with, but the ones that keep getting overlooked and dismissed. In more than ten years in practice, I've learned there's no single right way to reach your goals, and that finding your way back to health is far more than knowing the right thing to eat.

Here's what you can expect from working with me:

• Someone who will share your goals, so we're working towards what matters to you, not a generic protocol.

• Listen without judgement, giving the full picture, the cycle, the skin, the mood, the fatigue, the space it's rarely been given before.

• Look at the whole picture, bringing together holistic thinking with evidence-based insight into your hormones, metabolism, and everyday life.

• Offer reassurance, accountability, and encouragement, helping you keep going without judgement when things don't go to plan.

• Help you feel more at home in your body again, building understanding and confidence - without rigid rules to follow.

[Learn more about my approach]