Polycystic ovary syndrome: why widening the diagnostic criteria may be harming women

The 2018 International Guidelines for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) were intended to standardise diagnosis and improve care, but they also endorsed the controversial Rotterdam diagnostic criteria. These include a larger pool of individuals than alternative definitions and turn many more women into PCOS patients. A growing body of research shows that labelling some women with this condition can have harmful, lifelong consequences.