Millions of women are to be offered annual health reviews for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), a condition health officials describe as "common but often overlooked".
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) announced that women with PMOS should receive yearly check-ups to monitor symptoms, assess treatment, and manage long-term health risks.
However, a new draft guideline from Nice specifies that laser hair removal should not be offered for excess hair growth associated with the condition.
Until recently, PMOS was known as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
But global experts came together to call for the condition to be renamed after highlighting that many women are facing delays in diagnosis because there is a misunderstanding about cysts and too much focus on the ovaries.
Now health officials from Nice have called for the condition to be diagnosed sooner, as well as an annual review for those who have already been diagnosed.
Nice said the condition affects between three and four million women in the UK, but PMOS is “frequently underdiagnosed and inconsistently managed”.
A new draft guideline from the health body recommends that all women with irregular or absent menstrual cycles and symptoms or signs of excessive levels of male hormones should be investigated for PMOS.
It also made a number of other recommendations on fertility care, mental health and long-term health risks linked to the condition.
Symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
NHS
Symptoms can include:
- irregular periods or no periods at all
- difficulty getting pregnant as a result of irregular ovulation or no ovulation
- excessive hair growth (hirsutism) – usually on the face, chest, back or buttocks
- weight gain
- thinning hair and hair loss from the head
- oily skin or acne
But the guideline does not recommend laser or light therapies for women who have excess hair growth linked to the condition, known as hirsutism, with Nice saying that this could cost the NHS up to £100 million per year in England.
The guideline says there is a “lack of clinical evidence and uncertainty about cost-effectiveness” for these treatments.
But it does make a number of other recommendations to tackle hirsutism, including use of a contraceptive pill.
Marie Anne Ledingham, consultant clinical adviser for women’s and reproductive health at Nice, said: “PMOS is a common but often overlooked condition that can have a major impact on health and well-being. Recommending a simple annual review is an important step towards ensuring people get the ongoing care and monitoring they need.
“This new guideline will help improve consistency of care, increase awareness of the condition, and support earlier diagnosis and management.”
