Now, new understanding of a health condition affecting millions of women.

An estimated 1 in 10 women worldwide live with a hormonal disorder long known as PCOS, that's polycystic ovary syndrome.

But the condition is getting a new name.

And as Stephanie Sye reports, the change is about far more than terminology.

Supporters say it could lead to better diagnosis, treatment, and care.

That's right. PMOS is the new name for the hormonal condition associated with a wide range of symptoms,

from irregular periods to excess hair growth and acne, pelvic pain, and even anxiety and depression. The change was announced in the

Lancet by an international collaboration of physicians, specialists, and women living with a

disorder. Researchers say this new name is more accurate, and it's hoped it will lead to better

diagnoses and medical care. Dr. Melanie Cree is a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado

and Schutz and a doctor at Children's Hospital, Colorado, who was a key lead in the name change,

and she joins me now. Dr. Cree, thank you so much for joining the news hour. You know, it's interesting.

The new name doesn't even mention the word cis. Does this change reflect a new understanding of the disorder, or was polycystic ovarian syndrome

always a misnomer?

The name was always a misnomer.

There are young eggs that were mistakenly called cysts.

There have never been cysts part of the condition.

Women with PCOS, as you know, have often faced a labyrinth of providers before they even get

a proper diagnosis. How does changing the name account for the fact that this is a disorder

that can affect multiple

body systems, the endocrine system, the metabolic system, how does that lead to better care?

What we're hoping is that it shouldn't matter what kind of doctor a patient presents to.

...