// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
PMOS clinics 'good start, but more can be done'
Jessica Pinel hopes the clinic is just the beginning of support for women with PMOS
The launch of a pilot health check clinic for women with polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) in Jersey has been described as "a good start", but "more... can be done" for the condition, the head of a health group has said.
The metabolic condition, which affects up to one in eight women, changes how the ovaries work and was linked to infertility and weight gain, the UK's NHS said.
It was renamed PMOS from PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) in May to make it "more representative" of it as a whole-body condition.
The government said its trial clinic would not diagnose the condition, but help those with PMOS to get further help with it and associated conditions, including type 2 diabetes.
It added women with PMOS would need to go to their GP first to then be referred to the service, which will run at the Assisted Reproductive Unit in St Brelade from October.
Chair of PMOS Jersey Jessica Pinel said the trial clinic was in line with draft guidance from the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which advises annual checks so doctors can spot the wide-ranging health issues that can come with the complex condition.
Pinel was diagnosed with PMOS in 2023 after spending more than £3,100 for treatment and said times were tough financially for a lot of people.
She said: "We need to realise that cost may be a barrier to people getting support, even if the cost is going to their GP. But I think we do have to be grateful that we have had this service approved.
"Because the clinic is part of the government health system, it allows for referrals to be made into different pathways like endocrinology, dermatology, so it could actually allow for better support and reduce costs for women with PMOS."