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PCOS-rules
PCOS becomes SMOP
One year after Sans Règles SOPK, Carole Minker explains the new official name for PCOS: SMOP.
Summary
🔊 This program is an information program by a trained professional. This is generic advice and is not a personalized diagnosis. In all cases, we recommend that you be followed by a gynecologist and/or a midwife for individualized follow-up.
What you will learn in this episode
PCOS is becoming SMOP: what are we talking about?
One year after the release of the series Sans Règles SOPK, medical terminology is evolving: PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is officially becoming SMOP, for Polycystic Metabolic Ovarian Endocrine Syndrome.
- What this new name changes (and what it doesn't);
- Why the ovaries are just an indicator, not the sole cause;
- What this means in practical terms for the women affected.
The term PCOS suggested that the ovaries were responsible for everything. SMOP places the syndrome back into its true context: metabolic, ovarian, and endocrine all at once.
💡 Key figures
PCOS/SMOP affects between 1 in 10 women and 1 in 7 women depending on the studies, making it the most common hormonal disorder in women of childbearing age.
A period of two-year coexistence period has been planned: PCOS and MOPD can be used interchangeably during this transition phase, before PCOS becomes obsolete.
Why this name change?
The term PCOS focused on a single organ: the ovaries. But as Carole Minker explains, the ovaries are only a symptom of the syndrome, not its sole cause. The new term MOPD incorporates:
- The metabolic dimension (insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome);
- The ovariandimension, retained as a visible starting point;
- The polyendocrine dimension: thyroid, microbiota, and other involved hormonal axes.
What MOPD changes in practice
Many women thought they were not affected by PCOS because they did not have "polycystic" ovaries on an ultrasound. The term was confusing: you can have PCOS/MOPD without having actual ovarian cysts, and conversely, have polycystic-appearing ovaries without being ill.
Every woman has her own unique MOPD, with very different presentations and several possible subtypes.
Another nuance: the term "polycystic" was actually inaccurate, as these are immature follicles rather than true cysts. The new name avoids this confusion by no longer focusing on this aspect.
What does not change
The entire series PCOS Without Rules, created with Carole Minker, remains relevant despite this name change: the mechanisms explained (insulin resistance, thyroid, microbiota, metabolic syndrome) are exactly those that make up SMOP today.
🔎 Useful definitions
SMOP : Polyendocrine Ovarian Metabolic Syndrome, the new official name for PCOS. It incorporates the metabolic, ovarian, and endocrine dimensions of the syndrome, rather than focusing solely on the ovaries.
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Coexistence period : a two-year transition phase during which the terms PCOS and SMOP can be used interchangeably, before PCOS becomes obsolete.
🎯 Practical actions
- I will continue to use the resources from the PCOS Without Rules series: they remain valid for SMOP, as the underlying mechanisms have not changed;
- If I thought I wasn't affected by PCOS because I don't have polycystic ovaries on an ultrasound, I should look into it: SMOP can present without this appearance;
- I keep in mind that the diagnostic criteria have not yet evolved at the same pace as the name: it remains based on the current Rotterdam criteria;
- I stay attentive to new studies on the subject, as research continues to evolve rapidly.
.png)
Summary
🔊 This program is an information program by a trained professional. This is generic advice and is not a personalized diagnosis. In all cases, we recommend that you be followed by a gynecologist and/or a midwife for individualized follow-up.
_____
What you will learn in this episode
PCOS is becoming SMOP: what are we talking about?
One year after the release of the series Sans Règles SOPK, medical terminology is evolving: PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is officially becoming SMOP, for Polycystic Metabolic Ovarian Endocrine Syndrome.
- What this new name changes (and what it doesn't);
- Why the ovaries are just an indicator, not the sole cause;
- What this means in practical terms for the women affected.
The term PCOS suggested that the ovaries were responsible for everything. SMOP places the syndrome back into its true context: metabolic, ovarian, and endocrine all at once.
💡 Key figures
PCOS/SMOP affects between 1 in 10 women and 1 in 7 women depending on the studies, making it the most common hormonal disorder in women of childbearing age.
A period of two-year coexistence period has been planned: PCOS and MOPD can be used interchangeably during this transition phase, before PCOS becomes obsolete.
Why this name change?
The term PCOS focused on a single organ: the ovaries. But as Carole Minker explains, the ovaries are only a symptom of the syndrome, not its sole cause. The new term MOPD incorporates:
- The metabolic dimension (insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome);
- The ovariandimension, retained as a visible starting point;
- The polyendocrine dimension: thyroid, microbiota, and other involved hormonal axes.
What MOPD changes in practice
Many women thought they were not affected by PCOS because they did not have "polycystic" ovaries on an ultrasound. The term was confusing: you can have PCOS/MOPD without having actual ovarian cysts, and conversely, have polycystic-appearing ovaries without being ill.
Every woman has her own unique MOPD, with very different presentations and several possible subtypes.
Another nuance: the term "polycystic" was actually inaccurate, as these are immature follicles rather than true cysts. The new name avoids this confusion by no longer focusing on this aspect.
What does not change
The entire series PCOS Without Rules, created with Carole Minker, remains relevant despite this name change: the mechanisms explained (insulin resistance, thyroid, microbiota, metabolic syndrome) are exactly those that make up SMOP today.
🎯 Concrete actions
- I will continue to use the resources from the PCOS Without Rules series: they remain valid for SMOP, as the underlying mechanisms have not changed;
- If I thought I wasn't affected by PCOS because I don't have polycystic ovaries on an ultrasound, I should look into it: SMOP can present without this appearance;
- I keep in mind that the diagnostic criteria have not yet evolved at the same pace as the name: it remains based on the current Rotterdam criteria;
- I stay attentive to new studies on the subject, as research continues to evolve rapidly.
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