NICE guidance calls for quicker diagnosis of PMOS

Women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) in the UK should get diagnosed sooner and be offered an annual review of their condition, according to new guidance from NICE.

Draft guidance published today by the UK health technology assessment (HTA) agency comes just a few weeks after PMOS became the official new name for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), to better reflect that it is not a condition related to just ovarian cysts, but a lifelong hormonal and metabolic disorder, linked to multiple body systems.

Patient advocacy groups have said that the name change would improve understanding and help with treatment and diagnoses of the condition, which affects one in eight women and is associated with high levels of testosterone, irregular periods, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and infertility.

NICE said its guidance – which is open for comment until 11th August – is the first on PMOS tailored to a UK population, and is designed to address a low rate of diagnosis and inconsistent management of those living with it.

It recommends that all people with irregular or absent menstrual cycles and symptoms or signs of excessive levels of male hormones should be investigated for PMOS.

An annual review should be offered to people diagnosed with PMOS and cover symptoms and signs such as menstrual irregularities and excess hair growth, medicines use, and risk of long-term conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease at a stage when lifestyle changes could help to prevent more serious illness, said NICE.

Sharon Manship, a lay member on the guideline committee who has lived with PMOS for around 30 years, said she was "really pleased" to see the guidance come to fruition.

"I first sought support in my early 20s, having realised that my irregular and painful menstrual cycle and issues with my weight and mental health were not the norm. It was so disheartening to be told, until I was finally diagnosed in my mid-30s, that my symptoms were just part of being a woman," she added.

"My hope is that with this new guideline, people with PMOS will be taken seriously, diagnosed earlier, and provided with evidence-based support and care from healthcare professionals from the outset, rather than having to go what I went through."

One treatment absent from the new guidance is the use of mechanical laser and light therapies for hair reduction, which NICE says are not cost-effective ways of improving overall health and wellbeing in women with PMOS and could cost the NHS in England as much as £100 million a year. It has, however, recommended additional research on these therapies.

Photo by Negar Nikkhah on Unsplash