WHAT’S ON DECK
Tell Me More: How the name polycystic ovary syndrome was harming patients
FQ Leaders Spotlight: Jennifer Wilson, Chief Marketing Officer, Lowe’s
Inside Track: Leaders on the move
Dear FQ: The single most important rule about managing difficult conversations
Poll the Pack: Scrub-a-dub-dub 🛁
TELL ME MORE
PCOS has been renamed to PMOS
Senile vagina, incompetent cervix, inhospitable womb, geriatric pregnancy, lazy uterus. These are real medical terms that have been used to describe women’s bodies. When it comes to women’s health, words aren’t just words. Language shapes perception and influences decision-making. A name can clarify a condition or obscure it. It can open doors to treatment or delay it. Some of this terminology reflects assumptions about women’s bodies that have persisted for decades, even as medicine has evolved.
For millions of women living with polycystic ovary syndrome, better known as PCOS, that distinction matters. It was the name of the condition that was actively harming women via delayed diagnoses, dismissal, or inadequate treatment.
After more than a decade of research, advocacy, and input from patients and clinicians around the world, PCOS has officially been renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome, PMOS. The change was announced by the Endocrine Society and published in The Lancet, marking what experts are calling a landmark moment in women's health. The reason is simple: the old name was wrong.
For decades, PCOS reduced a complex hormonal and metabolic condition to a problem involving ovarian cysts. Many women with the condition don't have ovarian cysts at all. The small structures visible on ultrasounds are typically follicles containing immature eggs, not cysts. The name drew attention to a single organ, obscuring the broader reality of the disorder.
PMOS affects roughly 1 in 8 women worldwide, or more than 170 million people. It can influence hormone regulation, metabolism, fertility, mental health, cardiovascular health, weight regulation, sleep, and skin health. It is strongly associated with insulin resistance and can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, pregnancy complications, and heart disease. Yet the World Health Organization estimates that as many as 70% of women with the condition remain undiagnosed.
The consequences of the name went beyond confusion. By framing the condition primarily as a reproductive disorder, it contributed to delayed diagnoses, fragmented care, stigma, and gaps in research. Women were often treated for isolated symptoms rather than the underlying condition. Some spent years being told to simply lose weight, go on birth control, or come back when they wanted to get pregnant. That's why the shift from PCOS to PMOS is about much more than terminology.
Professor Helena Teede, who led the international effort behind the name change, described the previous name as one that failed to capture the "multi-system burden" women experience. She said, “This change was driven with and for those affected by the condition and we are proud to have arrived at a new name that finally accurately reflects the complexity of the condition. Make no mistake, this is a landmark moment that will lead to desperately needed worldwide advancements in clinical practice and research.” The new name reflects that this is not only an ovarian condition, but a complex disorder affecting the entire body.
For decades, women with PMOS have been navigating a system that misunderstood the condition. When a disorder is inaccurately named, it can shape everything that follows, from what medical students learn in school to which specialties treat it, how research is funded, and how seriously patients are taken.
The hope is that PMOS will do what PCOS could not: help clinicians recognize the condition earlier, encourage more collaboration across specialties, improve research investment, and lead to better care. This is about more than a name change, it’s about finally taking women’s health seriously.
FQ LEADERS SPOTLIGHT
Troublemakers who don’t fit the mold, and don’t try to
As Chief Marketing Officer at Lowe's, Jennifer Wilson brings more than two decades of expertise spanning marketing, merchandising, customer experience, and more. She connects business growth with customer needs, leading a global team responsible for everything from creative and influencer marketing to insights, sports partnerships, and retail media. Jen has positioned Lowe's as one of the most trusted brands in home improvement by staying relentlessly focused on the people they serve.
That same people-first mindset is what makes Lowe's partnership with The Female Quotient on Camp @ Cannes so meaningful. For too long, we've treated work and family as separate conversations. Camp @ Cannes challenged that assumption. This first-of-its-kind experience created a dedicated space for children ages 2–10, with thoughtfully designed programming inspired by MyLowe's Rewards Kids Club. It allowed parents to fully engage during Cannes Lions knowing their families are supported, included, and having fun. When we design experiences that reflect how people actually live and work, everyone benefits.
What’s the worst career advice you’ve gotten?
“Wait to take a role that feels just right for you.” Some of the most important growth in my career came from stepping into messy, ambiguous situations that needed leadership, not from pursuing the role that looked best on paper. I've learned to prioritize impact over optics.
What’s the best piece of non-obvious career advice you’ve gotten?
“Have faith in things before you have proof they'll work out.” At first, I thought of that as life advice, but it's proven just as valuable in my career. Leadership often requires moving forward without perfect certainty, trusting your values, your preparation, and your instincts, long before the outcome is clear.
What was a heartbeat moment for you in your career?
A defining moment in my career wasn't a single event, but realizing that when you stay somewhere long enough you inherit the outcomes of your decisions. Transformation requires making bets without perfect certainty, and having the patience and accountability to see them through. Some worked exactly as intended, some didn't, but those experiences taught me that leadership is less about being right every time and more about learning, adapting, and staying committed to the outcome. I always say 80% of your decisions will be right, and the rest of the year you’ll focus on fixing the 20% that wasn’t.
Who is one person you’d love to give flowers to from your career that influenced your journey? What advice or lesson did you learn from them?
My mom. She shaped the woman I am today, and it started at a young age. I grew up watching her miss some of my school and sporting events because of her commitments to her career. She taught me that, as a mom, if you make the “big moments” it’s OK to miss some of the smaller ones. And that you can balance a career and a family. She also taught me that nothing will trump hard work and hunger. Being driven to find a solution is 99% of what makes someone successful.
Where have you caused some good trouble in your career?
I've probably caused the most good trouble by challenging the idea that the customer belongs to any one function. Customers don't experience organizations in silos, they experience a brand. Throughout my career, I've pushed teams to think beyond their individual priorities and solve problems through the lens of the entire customer experience. Those conversations aren't always comfortable, but they're often where the most meaningful progress happens.
Want to nominate a “Troublemaker” you admire? You can do so here.
INSIDE TRACK
Leaders on the move
Sarah Gavin has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at The Trade Desk
Janet Foutty has taken on the role of President of Corporate Partnerships at RAISE US
Teresa Carlson has been named Anthropic’s first Global Head of Public Sector
Drieke Leenknegt has become Chief Marketing Officer at Balenciaga
Denise Moreno is now Chief Marketing Officer at Meta
Diana Finster has stepped into the role of Vice President of Partnerships at Walmart Connect
Melissa Bell has joined Chewy as its Chief Brand Officer
DEAR FQ
Your burning career questions answered
Sydney Kramer of The Female Quotient weighs in:
Delegating in a fast-paced environment is hard, but not delegating? That’s how you end up doing everyone’s job…forever. It’s a classic trap: you’re too busy to train someone, so you keep doing it yourself. Which means you stay too busy, rinse, and repeat. Also, you’re not alone. Less than 1 in 5 leaders actually delegate well.
But delegation is how teams grow. It gives people space to learn, mess up a little, build confidence, and eventually take things off your plate for good. Start with small, repeatable tasks that are low-risk and quick to explain. When you're ready to delegate something more complicated, instead of carving out extra time to teach, just bring someone along while you’re already doing the work. Hop on a call, share your screen, and narrate what you’re doing. It’s training, but make it efficient.
The hardest part comes next: letting go. It’s important to remember that everyone works differently and you can't expect someone to complete a task in the exact same way you would (good) and it might be a little messy at first (also good). That’s where clear feedback comes in.
It's an investment that compounds; every hour you spend mentoring and teaching buys many more hours later on. You will find that you have time to place your focus on other work, set your sights higher, and ultimately, have more impact.
P.S. Got a burning career question? Serve it up here to Dear FQ to score advice from a powerhouse leader in our network.
POLL THE PACK
The shower effect
You never know when your next big idea will strike, and for the majority of employees, it’s not at their desk reaching for a Post-It, but in the shower reaching for a bottle of shampoo. This even has a scientific name called, "the shower effect."
These lightbulb moments tend to happen during everyday, low-effort activities because your brain finally has space to wander. When you’re focused on a simple task, like showering, walking, or driving, your mind shifts into what scientists call the default mode network. It’s a state where you’re not actively problem-solving, but your brain is still quietly connecting the dots in the background.
In contrast, when you’re sitting at your desk, you’re often in “task mode,” focused, efficient, but narrow. You’re executing, not exploring. When you step away, your brain relaxes, allowing ideas from different parts of your mind to collide in new ways. That’s where creativity lives, in the unexpected connections.
There’s also something about the shower itself: it’s repetitive, distraction-free, and just stimulating enough to keep your mind engaged without overwhelming it. No notifications, no emails, no pressure to produce, and the mental space for something new to surface. So those moments aren’t random; they’re the result of giving your brain the time and space it needs to think. Which is a good reminder: your best ideas come from stepping away long enough to let them find you.
Go ahead, take a shower! 🚿
Xo,
The FQ
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