How The PCOS Rename To PMOS Could Change The Way Migraine Sufferers Understand Their Symptoms

What if PCOS was never just about the ovaries, but about a deeper hormonal, metabolic, and nervous system pattern that could also be affecting your migraines?

In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores the proposed shift from PCOS to PMOS, and why this new name may help migraine sufferers better understand symptoms that often feel disconnected, confusing, or random.

You’ll discover:

💡 Why PMOS may help you see hormones, metabolism, and migraine as connected

💡 How insulin resistance, inflammation, stress, and hormone shifts can overlap in the body

💡 One simple step you can try at home to start supporting your symptoms today

This episode helps you move from confusion to clarity — so you can better listen to your body and understand what your symptoms may be trying to reveal.

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🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.com

References:

• Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome: New Name to Improve Diagnosis and Care of Condition Affecting 170 Million Women Worldwide (Endocrine Society, 2026): This statement introduces PMOS as the new name for PCOS, emphasizing the condition’s endocrine, metabolic, and reproductive features to improve diagnosis, awareness, and care. Read more here.
• Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome, the New Name for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Teede,et al. 2026): This consensus paper explains the rationale for renaming PCOS to PMOS, highlighting its multisystem nature and the need for terminology that better reflects the condition. Read more here.
• International Evidence-Based Guideline for the Assessment and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Teede et al., 2023): This guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of PCOS, including reproductive, metabolic, and psychological health considerations. Read more here.
• The Complex Relationship Between Estrogen and Migraines: A Scoping Review (Reddy et al., 2021): This review explores how fluctuations in estrogen influence migraine risk, severity, and frequency, helping explain the strong connection between hormonal changes and migraine attacks. Read more here.
• Hormonal Influences in Migraine — Interactions of Oestrogen, Oxytocin and Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (Sacco et al., 2021): This review examines how hormonal pathways interact with migraine mechanisms, particularly the roles of estrogen, oxytocin, and CGRP in migraine susceptibility and symptoms. Read more here.
• Insulin Resistance in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Across Various Tissues: An Updated Review of Pathogenesis, Evaluation, and Treatment (Wang et al., 2022): This review discusses the mechanisms underlying insulin resistance in PCOS and its impact on metabolic health, along with current approaches to assessment and treatment. Read more here.
• Is There Any Association Between Migraine Headache and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome? A Review Article (Pourabolghasem et al., 2022): This review examines evidence linking migraine and PCOS, suggesting that shared hormonal, metabolic, and inflammatory pathways may contribute to the association. Read more here.
• Exploring the Role of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide and Kynurenine Pathway Dysregulation in Migraine Pathophysiology Among Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Longwill, 2024): This review explores emerging biological mechanisms that may connect PCOS and migraine, focusing on PACAP signaling and kynurenine pathway dysregulation. Read more here.
• The Interplay Between Migraine, Endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (Gómez-Dabó et al., 2025): This review examines the overlap between migraine, endometriosis, and PCOS, highlighting shared hormonal, inflammatory, and neurovascular mechanisms that may contribute to these conditions. Read more here.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for providing medical advice. Always consult your healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

For women, men, and children who suffer from migraine disease, Migraine Heroes is your go-to resource for understanding, managing, and overcoming migraine attacks.

We cover all types of migraines and related headaches, including primary and secondary migraines, chronic migraines, and cluster migraines. We dive deep into the complexities of migraine with aura and migraine without aura, as well as rarer forms like hemiplegic migraine, retinal migraine, and acephalgic migraine (silent migraine). Our discussions also extend to cervicogenic headaches, ice pick headaches, and pressure headaches, which often mimic migraine or contribute to overall migraine burden.