SPEAKIN’ OUT NEWS
(Speakin’ Out News ILlustration)
For years, Black women experiencing irregular periods, severe pelvic pain, unexplained weight changes, acne, or unwanted facial hair have reported being told that their symptoms are normal—or that they simply need to lose weight.
In Alabama, that dismissal may carry particularly serious consequences because the state already faces high rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease—all conditions that can overlap with or complicate polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, or PMOS.
PMOS is the new name for polycystic ovary syndrome, commonly known as PCOS. The condition was renamed in May 2026 following a 14-year international effort involving patients, researchers and medical professionals.
The new name recognizes that PMOS affects hormones, metabolism, ovarian function and emotional health. It is not simply about ovarian cysts. A woman can have PMOS without having cysts, while someone with ovarian cysts may not have the syndrome.
The Endocrine Society estimates that PMOS affects one in eight women and girls worldwide. However, Alabama does not maintain a publicly available statewide registry identifying how many women have been diagnosed.
Related health statistics demonstrate why stronger awareness is needed. The Alabama Department of Public Health reports that 38.9% of Alabama adults have obesity, tying the state with Arkansas for the nation’s fourth-highest adult obesity rate.
ADPH also reports that nearly one in five Black Alabamians has diabetes. Nationally, CDC data show that 55.9% of Black women age 20 and older have obesity, while 61% have measured high blood pressure or take medication for hypertension.
These statistics do not mean that every Black woman with obesity, diabetes or high blood pressure has PMOS. They show that many Alabama women already live with metabolic risk factors that deserve careful evaluation when hormonal symptoms appear.
Symptoms of PMOS can include irregular or absent periods, acne, excess facial or body hair, thinning scalp hair, difficulty becoming pregnant, weight gain and insulin resistance. Women may also experience fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, depression or poor body image.
Black women with the condition may face additional health concerns. Research has found that Black women diagnosed with PCOS—the condition’s former name—had greater risks for metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease than white women with the disorder.
Dr. Kameelah Phillips Davis Moss told theGrio that healthcare providers and families must stop treating Black women’s pain as something they are expected to endure.
“We really have to stop normalizing Black women’s pain,” she said.
Without appropriate monitoring, PMOS may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes, pregnancy complications, sleep apnea, fatty-liver disease, high blood pressure, and endometrial cancer.
Women should document menstrual cycles, symptoms, medications, and family history before an appointment. A patient who feels dismissed can request appropriate laboratory testing, ask for a referral to a gynecologist or endocrinologist, or seek a second opinion.
Severe pain or unusually heavy bleeding should not automatically be blamed on PMOS because fibroids, endometriosis, and other medical conditions may cause similar symptoms.
For Black women across Alabama, the message is clear: debilitating periods, sudden hormonal changes and persistent metabolic symptoms should not be normalized. Women know when something has changed in their bodies—and they deserve healthcare providers who will listen.