Tag: PMOS treatment

Managing Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS) (formerly Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, PCOS) starts with a simple question: which symptoms matter most to you right now? There’s no single treatment, because the condition affects everyone differently. The right approach depends on your symptoms, your wider health, whether you need contraception and whether you’re trying to conceive. Living with PMOS can mean juggling several symptoms at once: irregular periods, acne, unwanted facial hair, thinning hair, fatigue, or changes to your weight and metabolism. Or it might be just one or two that really bother you. Either way, PMOS rarely needs to be tackled all at once. Here, Dr Yewande, a Women’s Health GP at Hertility, shares practical, evidence-based ways to manage some of the most common PMOS symptoms, and the treatments and support that can help. For a full overview of the condition, read our guide to everything you need to know about PMOS (PCOS). Quick facts 1. Keep track of your periods, even if they have always been irregular If your periods have always been unpredictable, it’s tempting to accept long gaps as normal for you. But with PMOS (PCOS), how often you bleed matters as much as how predictable your cycle is. A typical cycle lasts 21 to 35 days. With PMOS (PCOS), periods often come less frequently, stop altogether (amenorrhoea) or arrive erratically, because PMOS can disrupt ovulation. Why frequency matters. After you ovulate, your body makes progesterone. If you rarely ovulate, your womb lining is exposed to oestrogen without that regular progesterone. Over time, this can make the lining thicken too much, a condition called endometrial hyperplasia. The relative risk of endometrial cancer is also higher with PMOS, although the absolute risk stays low meaning that even though the chance of developing endometrial cancer with PMOS is higher than if you didn’t have PMOS the actual risk of it occurring is low. That’s why long gaps in periods are still worth acting on rather than ignoring. What can help? If you regularly go several months without a period, speak to your GP. Depending on your history and whether you need contraception, options may include hormonal contraception like the pill, a hormonal coil such as the Mirena, or intermittent courses of a progestogen to bring on a withdrawal bleed. If you’re trying to conceive, your options will be different, because the focus shifts to understanding and supporting ovulation. Don’t wait for your cycles to settle before mentioning them. Keep a record for 2-3 months before your appointment of your cycle length (first day of one period to first day of the next), how long bleeding lasts, how painful it is, and flow (light, medium, heavy), so you can tell your doctor exactly how often you’re bleeding.  Want to understand what’s happening with your hormones? Hertility’s Advanced Hormone and Fertility Test helps you build a clearer picture of your hormones and cycle, with results reviewed alongside your symptoms and health history. 2. Stop searching for the perfect “PCOS diet” There’s no single diet proven to be best for PMOS (PCOS). Low-carb diets, keto, intermittent fasting and other eating plans are often promoted for PMOS (PCOS)., but the international guidelines doesn’t recommend one diet over another. Rather than following strict rules, focus on an eating pattern that supports your health and that you can realistically keep up. For many people, that means: If insulin resistance is a concern, eating carbohydrates alongside protein, fibre and healthy fats can make meals more filling and help keep your blood sugar steady. But eating well with PMOS (PCOS), shouldn’t mean constant dieting or feeling guilty about food. The best approach fits your health, culture, budget, preferences and relationship with food. Read our guide on There a Best Diet for PMOS (PCOS)?. If nutrition feels confusing, a Hertility Nutrition Consultation can help you build a plan around you, rather than another generic PMOS (PCOS)  meal plan. 3. Exercise for your health, not just the number on the scales Exercise is one of the most useful tools for managing PMOS (PCOS)., even if your weight doesn’t change. Regular activity supports insulin sensitivity, heart health, sleep, mood and metabolic health. There’s no single “best exercise for PCOS”: current recommendations suggest around 150-300 minutes of moderate activity a week (or 75-150 minutes of more vigorous activity). Either way, add muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days a week. This is in line with UK physical activity guidelines. That doesn’t have to mean intense workouts. Walking, cycling, swimming, Pilates, resistance training or a combination of these are all good options, and the best type is the one you’ll actually keep doing. If you’re currently doing very little, jumping straight to 10,000 steps and five gym sessions a week can make exercise feel impossible. Start smaller. A 15 to 20 minute walk most days is better than an ambitious plan you give up on after a fortnight. 4. If you’re constantly exhausted, don’t automatically blame PCOS Fatigue is common with PMOS (PCOS), but it has many possible causes. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may check for: PMOS (PCOS) is also linked with a higher rate of obstructive sleep apnoea, regardless of your weight. So if you snore heavily, wake up unrefreshed, get morning headaches or feel unusually sleepy during the day, mention it to your doctor. Sleep apnoea is treatable, and it’s often missed. 5. Your skin symptoms might be hormonal, and topical treatment may not be enough Persistent acne or oily skin can be a visible sign of the hormonal changes linked to PMOS (PCOS). Higher androgen activity (including testosterone) can increase oil production and contribute to acne. This is particularly likely when it appears alongside irregular periods, excess facial or body hair, or scalp thinning. Topical treatments. These can still be very effective. Depending on severity, options include benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, topical retinoids or other prescription treatments. When acne keeps coming back. If your acne keeps returning or isn’t improving despite the right treatment, that’s a clue […]

If you’ve recently heard the term PMOS and wondered what it means, or if you’ve had a PCOS diagnosis for years and want to understand what’s changed, this is your complete guide. PMOS stands for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome. It’s the new name for what was previously called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The name has changed, but the condition hasn’t, and understanding it properly has never mattered more. PMOS affects an estimated 1 in 8 women and people with ovaries worldwide, more than 3.1 million in the UK alone. Despite being one of the most common hormonal conditions, it remains widely misdiagnosed, misunderstood, and undertreated. On average, it takes two years and multiple doctor visits to get a diagnosis. You deserve better than that. This guide covers everything: what PMOS actually is, what causes it, what it feels like, how it’s diagnosed, and what you can do about it. Quick facts: What is PMOS? P – PolyendocrineM – MetabolicO – OvarianS – Syndrome Let’s break that down: Polyendocrine means more than one hormone system may be involved. PMOS can affect reproductive hormones such as testosterone, LH and FSH, but it may also affect insulin, thyroid hormones, cortisol and other metabolic pathways. Metabolic refers to the way your body processes energy, sugar and insulin. Many people with PCOS/PMOS have some degree of insulin resistance, where the body has to produce more insulin to keep blood sugar stable. Ovarian reflects the fact that the ovaries may be affected, particularly ovulation. However, despite the old name “polycystic ovary syndrome”, you do not need to have cysts on your ovaries to have the condition. Syndrome means it is a collection of features that can look different from person to person. PMOS is the most common cause of irregular periods and ovulatory infertility in people with ovaries. It is also linked to an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and longer-term health risks including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, endometrial cancer, anxiety and depression. Is PMOS the same as PCOS? PMOS is just the newer name being used for PCOS. For years, the condition was called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but that name has always been a bit misleading. Not everyone with PCOS has polycystic-looking ovaries, and not everyone with polycystic-looking ovaries has PCOS. The condition also affects far more than the ovaries. The shift towards PMOS aims to better reflect the full-body nature of the condition, including its links with insulin resistance, androgen excess, metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, mental health and fertility. That said, PCOS is still the most widely recognised search term, and most NHS, NICE and clinical guidance currently still uses PCOS. So, for now, you may see both terms used: PCOS = the older, widely used namePMOS = the newer, more accurate name You can read more about why PCOS was renamed PMOS here. What causes PMOS? The exact cause of PMOS isn’t fully understood, but research points to a combination of genetic, hormonal and metabolic factors. It tends to run in families, and if your mother, sister or aunt has PMOS, you might be at a higher risk. At its core, PMOS involves a dysfunction in the way the body produces and responds to hormones, particularly androgens and insulin. Androgen excess – the ovaries (and in some cases the adrenal glands) produce higher levels of androgens than normal. Androgens are often called “male hormones,” but they play important roles in everyone’s body. In PMOS, elevated androgens disrupt the normal development of follicles in the ovaries, preventing regular ovulation. Insulin resistance – the majority of people with PMOS have some degree of insulin resistance, meaning their cells don’t respond efficiently to insulin. This causes the pancreas to produce more insulin to compensate, and elevated insulin in turn stimulates the ovaries to produce more androgens, creating a self-reinforcing cycle. Disrupted pituitary signalling – the hormonal signals from the brain to the ovaries are altered in PMOS. LH (luteinising hormone) is often disproportionately elevated relative to FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), which further disrupts follicle development and ovulation. Genetic factors – PMOS can run in families, suggesting genes play an important role. Researchers are trying to identify which genes are involved, but because it’s a complex condition, it’s not surprising that it’s not a single gene, but that many genes are involved. What are the symptoms of PMOS? PMOS presents differently  from person to person. Some people have many symptoms; others have very few. Some symptoms are visible; others are internal. This variability is one of the reasons it takes so long to diagnose. Irregular or absent periods Irregular menstrual cycles are one of the hallmark features of PMOS. Because elevated androgens interfere with regular ovulation, periods can arrive unpredictably, sometimes weeks late, sometimes skipped altogether. Some people experience very long cycles (35 days or more); others may go several months without a period. What counts as irregular? Cycles shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, fewer than 8 periods per year, or periods that have no predictable pattern. If your periods have always been irregular  or if they became irregular after stopping the pill, PMOS is one of the first things worth looking into. Hormonal acne Hormonal acne is one of the most common and most distressing symptoms of PMOS. PMOS-related acne typically appears along the jawline, chin and lower cheeks. It may flare around the time of a period, or it may be persistent and seemingly random. It tends to involve deeper, more inflamed spots rather than surface-level break out, and it often doesn’t respond well to standard skincare. If you’ve tried everything on your skin and still can’t get it under control, your hormones are worth investigating. Unwanted hair growth (hirsutism) Elevated testosterone stimulates hair growth in areas where most women don’t typically grow coarse hair, the upper lip, chin, jaw, chest, stomach and inner thighs. This is called hirsutism, and it affects a significant proportion of people with PMOS. It can range from fine, barely noticeable hair to […]