What is PCOS Awareness Month & why is it now called PMOS?
Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA
September is PCOS Awareness Month. Here’s why the condition is now called PMOS and how it affects your mood and sleep, plus 4 ways to support your well-being if you live with it.
You spend years with irregular periods, stubborn weight changes, acne that won't quit, thinning hair, or a sense of fatigue no amount of rest seems to fix. And still, appointment after appointment, you walk out without a clear answer. This is the story for countless people with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.
September is PCOS Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness of a condition that’s often misunderstood and can go undiagnosed for years. In 2026, global health experts officially renamed it to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS.
Let’s dive into what the month is about, why the name changed, and the toll PMOS can take on your mood and sleep. We’ll also discuss how to care for yourself when you’re already feeling stretched thin.
What is PCOS Awareness Month?
Every September, PCOS Awareness Month puts a spotlight on a condition that affects roughly one in eight women — as well as some transgender and nonbinary people with ovaries.
It's organized by PCOS Challenge: The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association, and it opens with the World PCOS Day of Unity on September 1.
This month matters because up to 70% of those affected never get a diagnosis, and symptoms often get dismissed or blamed on something else, which can sometimes delay answers for years.
Why PCOS is now called PMOS
In May 2026, after a global consensus process spanning more than a decade, polycystic ovary syndrome was officially renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS.
Why the name changed: The term "polycystic ovary" framed the condition around cysts and the ovaries, but many people with the condition don’t have cysts at all. PMOS reflects the fuller picture. Hormones, metabolism, mood, sleep, and the reproductive system all play a part.
Why it matters: A more accurate name can drive real change for people living with PMOS.
Faster diagnosis, since the name no longer points doctors toward the cysts and ovaries alone
Coordinated care that treats hormones, metabolism, and mental health together
Less stigma, for those who felt their symptoms were overlooked or dismissed
The international guideline used across 195 countries won’t formally adopt the new name until 2028, so your doctor may still use "PCOS" for now. Just know that both names mean the same thing.
How PMOS affects your mental health, mood, and sleep
PMOS reaches into parts of daily life that are easy to overlook but deeply connected: mood, anxiety, stress, and sleep.
Mood and anxiety
If you have PMOS, you're more likely to experience anxiety and depression than people without it. Some studies report depressive symptoms in more than a third of patients, with anxiety symptoms even more common. A couple of factors are typically behind this:
Biology: PMOS involves hormone shifts, including insulin resistance (trouble regulating blood sugar) and elevated androgens (hormones like testosterone). These shifts appear to directly influence your mood, and chronic inflammation may add to that effect.
Lived experience: Visible symptoms like weight changes, acne, or unwanted hair growth can affect your body image and self-esteem. On top of that, months or years spent seeking a diagnosis can leave you feeling dismissed, taking a toll on your mental health.
The stress loop
Stress complicates the picture further — it feeds PMOS symptoms, which in turn worsen stress.
Stress rises: A stressful trigger, big or small, causes your body to release more cortisol, one of your body's main stress hormones.
Hormones fluctuate: Higher cortisol worsens insulin resistance and raises androgen levels, two of the key drivers behind PMOS symptoms.
Symptoms worsen: Flare-ups create more stress, and the cycle starts again.
This is one reason anxiety and PMOS so often go hand in hand, and why calming the nervous system is part of managing the condition.
Sleep
If you have PMOS, you may be more likely to struggle with two kinds of sleep trouble:
Everyday sleep problems: Poor sleep quality, insomnia, and daytime sleepiness are all more common.
Obstructive sleep apnea: Your risk is estimated at 5–10 times higher than in people without PMOS.
Your progesterone levels also tend to run lower with PMOS. Since this hormone naturally supports sleep, lower levels can make it harder to rest well.
Read more: Why sleep apnea symptoms can look different for women vs men
4 ways to support your well-being when you're living with PMOS
Navigating PMOS looks different for everyone, but a few core habits can help no matter where you're starting from. These tips focus on managing your mood, stress, and sleep. For more relief strategies, check out our signs of PCOS article.
1. Calm your nervous system
Prolonged stress may worsen PMOS symptoms, so regularly calming your nervous system can benefit you both physically and emotionally. Mindfulness and meditation are well-studied stress relievers, even in short bursts.
Try a slow exhale: Breathe in for four counts, breathe out for six, then repeat the cycle for a minute whenever you feel tension building.
💙 Settle your body with Calm’s Break the Stress Cycle breathing exercise.
2. Protect your sleep routine
Since PMOS can already make it more challenging to get good sleep—and poor sleep tends to make your symptoms worse—it’s worth prioritizing a steady wind-down routine.
A few habits that can help: maintain consistent sleep and wake times, dim lights and screens an hour before bed, and keep your room cool.
If you consistently snore heavily, wake up gasping, or feel exhausted despite a full night's sleep, ask your doctor about a sleep apnea screening — it's common with PMOS and very treatable.
💙 Unwind with a Bedtime Body Scan on Calm.
3. Lean on community
Isolating yourself can deepen the emotional toll of living with PMOS. Support groups (in person or online) offer practical advice and comfort from talking with people who get it. But connection can come from anywhere, including friends, family, or PMOS communities.
September is a good time to seek support, since many organizations host events to mark the awareness month.
💙 Feeling isolated? Press play on Dr. Vivek Murthy’s Combating Loneliness session on Calm.
4. Build the right care team
PMOS affects different systems in the body, so it’s often most effective to have several specialists involved. Depending on what you're navigating, your team might include an endocrinologist, gynecologist, dietitian, and mental health professional.
It might take some trial and error to find the right fit. Be patient with yourself along the way — you deserve support that suits your needs.
Related read: How to spot medical gaslighting (and 10 tips to self-advocate)
PCOS Awareness Month FAQs
When is PCOS Awareness Month?
PCOS Awareness Month happens every September, starting with World PCOS Day of Unity on September 1. It’s a chance to raise awareness and advocate for earlier diagnosis. This year, it also marks the recent rename to PMOS.
What is PMOS, and is it different from PCOS?
PMOS isn't a different condition — it's the new name for PCOS, adopted in 2026 to better reflect how the condition affects your hormones and metabolism, not just your ovaries.
Does PMOS affect mental health?
Yes, PMOS may affect your mental health. People with PMOS experience anxiety and depression at higher rates than those without it.
Hormonal changes, inflammation, and the day-to-day weight of managing symptoms all play a role — if any of this is affecting your daily life, it's worth bringing up with a healthcare provider.
Why do I feel so anxious? Is that part of PMOS?
Anxiety can definitely be part of PMOS. Hormonal shifts tied to the condition can affect your brain chemistry and directly contribute to feelings of anxiety. You may find that calming practices like meditation, along with professional support, can help ease the anxiety.
Can stress make PMOS symptoms worse?
Yes, stress and PMOS symptoms can feed each other in a cycle. Being stressed raises your cortisol, which tends to worsen insulin resistance and androgen levels, two of the main drivers behind PMOS symptoms.
Those symptoms may then add to your stress, continuing the cycle. That’s part of why managing stress is such a meaningful part of caring for yourself.
How does PMOS affect sleep?
PMOS affects sleep in several ways, from everyday insomnia to a much higher risk of sleep apnea. If you have PMOS, your progesterone levels—which naturally support sleep—tend to run lower, which may be one reason sleep doesn't come as easily.
Calm your mind. Change your life.
Mental health is hard. Getting support doesn't have to be. The Calm app puts the tools to feel better in your back pocket, with personalized content to manage stress and anxiety, get better sleep, and feel more present in your life.
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