PCOS Myth or Fact? A 12-question quiz

How it works

Every statement comes from questions real people ask on r/PCOSPhilippines, in Facebook groups and on Google in the Philippines. Each answer is written from the 2023 International Evidence-based Guideline, the Lancet paper that renamed PCOS to PMOS, or another cited source, which appears right under the answer.

Pick Myth or Fact for each statement. You see the answer straight away, with a short explanation. At the end you get a score card you can share. Sharing uses your phone's share menu, or copies a short message with your score and a link to this page. Your answers are never put in the link or the message, and nothing you pick is sent to us.

One statement is labelled Mostly fact: PCOS and PCOD. PCOD is an older term used mostly in South Asia for the same or an overlapping condition, and different sources use it differently. We say so honestly instead of forcing a yes or no.

The full list of statements and answers is below, so the page reads without JavaScript too.

All 12 statements, answered

1. “PCOS means you can't get pregnant.” Myth. PCOS (now called PMOS) is a common cause of irregular ovulation, but it is treatable. The 2023 Guideline names letrozole as the first-line medicine for ovulation (Rec 5.3.1), with other steps after it. Many people with PCOS get pregnant.
2. “Only overweight women get PCOS.” Myth. PCOS happens at every body size. A DOST expert from Fabella Hospital stresses it is not limited to overweight women. The guideline also says weight stigma is harmful and should be recognised (Rec 3.6.1).
3. “PCOS is the same as PCOD.” Mostly fact. PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease) is an older term used mostly in South Asia for the same or an overlapping condition. Some sites describe PCOD as a milder form, but the international guideline does not use PCOD at all: it uses PCOS, now renamed PMOS. If a doctor says PCOD, ask which criteria they used. [TODO: source]
4. “Inositol can make PCOS go away.” Myth. There is no cure for PMOS, formerly PCOS; symptoms can be managed. The 2023 Guideline says inositol could be considered but with limited clinical benefits (Rec 4.7.1), and calls it experimental for fertility (Rec 5.8.1). In the Philippines it is sold as a food supplement with "No approved therapeutic claims".
5. “You can't have PCOS if your periods are regular.” Myth. Diagnosis needs two of three features: irregular ovulation, high androgens, and polycystic ovaries or a high AMH in adults. Someone with high androgens and polycystic ovaries can have PCOS with regular periods.
6. “There is a special PCOS-only version of metformin.” Myth. Metformin is the same molecule whatever the box says. Generic metformin costs a fraction of the brand-name version. Filipinas on r/PCOSPhilippines report being told otherwise by clinic staff, so it is worth asking your doctor about generics.
7. “Diane-35 and Althea are different medicines.” Myth. Both contain cyproterone acetate 2 mg plus ethinylestradiol 35 mcg, so they are essentially the same formula from different makers. The 2023 Guideline calls this formula second-line (Rec 4.2.5). Never switch or stop a pill without talking to your doctor.
8. “PMOS is a different condition from PCOS.” Myth. PMOS (polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome) is the new name for PCOS, published in The Lancet on 12 May 2026. Diagnosis and treatment did not change. Both names will be used until the 2028 guideline update.
9. “Everyone needs a transvaginal ultrasound to be diagnosed.” Myth. If you already have irregular cycles and signs of high androgens, the guideline says an ultrasound is not needed (Rec 1.4.9). Ultrasound is not used to diagnose teens, and in adults an AMH blood test can replace it.
10. “A glucose test is part of a good PCOS check-up.” Fact. The guideline recommends checking glucose at diagnosis, with the 75 g OGTT as the most accurate test (Rec 1.9.9), then every 1 to 3 years. A Filipino study found more metabolic problems in the irregular-cycle types of PCOS.
11. “Going months without a period is nothing to worry about with PCOS.” Myth. Long gaps can let the womb lining build up, which raises the risk of endometrial cancer over time. If you have gone 3 months or more without a period, see a doctor. Treatment to protect the lining is simple.
12. “The international PCOS guideline warns doctors about weight stigma.” Fact. The 2023 Guideline says weight stigma is common in PCOS care and its harms should be recognised, and it addresses clinician weight bias (Rec 3.6.1, 3.6.2). You deserve care without shaming.

Want to know if your symptoms could be PCOS? Try the 2-minute self-check.