The APPG on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) recently met with Baroness Merron, Minister for Women’s Health and Mental Health, to discuss its report Breaking the Cycle and the future of PCOS care within the renewed Women’s Health Strategy.
The Minister described the current moment as a “great opportunity” for women’s health reform and noted that the APPG’s findings strongly align with Government priorities. She also acknowledged the historic neglect of women’s health and the significant barriers faced by those with PCOS.
A key focus of the discussion was the need to move beyond a narrow reproductive framing of PCOS. The APPG emphasised that PCOS is a complex condition with endocrine and metabolic impacts, and Baroness Merron agreed that it should be recognised as a chronic, multisystem condition, with implications across the healthcare system.
The meeting also highlighted ongoing challenges, including long diagnostic delays, gaps in clinician knowledge, and fragmented care pathways. Baroness Merron pointed to the role of community-based services and the forthcoming NICE guideline on PCOS (2026) as opportunities to improve diagnosis and management.
Concerns were also raised about the visibility of PCOS in public information. While NHS Online is expanding its coverage of menstrual health conditions, PCOS is not currently named explicitly, underlining the need for greater recognition across policy and communications.
The discussion reflected a growing consensus that PCOS must be better recognised, understood and embedded within women’s health policy as a long-term, multisystem condition.