NHS advises checking irregular periods for PMOS
13 reported
New NHS guidance recommends that up to 4 million women with irregular periods should be investigated for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) states that PMOS is “frequently underdiagnosed and inconsistently managed” despite affecting 3 to 4 million women in the UK. The World Health Organization estimates PMOS affects up to 13% of reproductive age women. Symptoms include irregular, very short, long or absent periods, excess testosterone, and ovaries with multiple small follicles. The condition is linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, mental health issues, and pregnancy complications. Nice’s draft guidance covers girls over 10, adult women, trans men, and non-binary people not receiving gender reassignment therapy or surgery. Patients with suspected PMOS should be offered blood tests and, in some cases, ultrasounds, and PMOS should not be discounted in post-menopausal women or those with eating disorders. The guidance also recommends annual reviews to monitor symptoms and risks, and states that IVF should be offered to those meeting standard Nice criteria, but laser hair removal or light therapies for excess hair growth should not be offered due to cost-effectiveness concerns.
What’s reported
Up to 4 million women with irregular periods should be investigated for PMOS, per new NHS guidance.
PMOS, previously called polycystic ovarian syndrome, affects up to 13% of reproductive age women, per WHO estimates.
Symptoms include irregular, very short, long or absent periods, excess testosterone, and ovaries with multiple small follicles.
PMOS is associated with greater risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnoea, fatty liver disease, mental health issues, and pregnancy complications.
Nice says PMOS is “frequently underdiagnosed and inconsistently managed” despite affecting 3 to 4 million women in the UK.
Draft guidance covers girls over 10, adult women, trans men, and non-binary people not receiving gender reassignment therapy or surgery.
Suspected PMOS patients should be offered blood tests and, in some cases, ultrasounds; PMOS should not be discounted in post-menopausal women or those with eating disorders.
PMOS can be more prevalent among black, Asian, and mixed ethnicity women.
Once diagnosed, patients should have an annual review to monitor symptoms and risks including cardiovascular health, diabetes, obesity, and mental health.
IVF should be offered to PMOS patients meeting standard Nice criteria.
Laser hair removal or light therapies for excess hair growth should not be offered because they are not cost-effective; offering them would cost the NHS up to £100m a year in England.
Draft guidance is based on the international evidence-based guideline from Monash University used by over 100 countries.
Consultation on draft guidelines is open until 11 August 2026; final guidelines due in December 2026.
Key figures
Marieanne Ledingham, consultant clinical advisor for women’s and reproductive health at Nice
Dr Rachel Reid-McCann, researcher at Oxford University and author of an earlier study of period pain in the Lancet
Janet Lindsay, chief executive of Wellbeing of Women
Sources: The Guardian
