Opinion: Overdiagnosis and disease labels: the case of polycystic ovary syndrome

Advances in medical technology make it easier to detect disease earlier than ever. That’s a good thing when it means a deadly cancer can be caught promptly and stopped with treatment. But it isn’t so good for people who are labeled with a disease that has mild symptoms, if any, and only a low risk of getting worse. Such a diagnosis may do more harm than good, especially if the diagnosis adds an emotional burden and doesn’t change an individual’s treatment.

Take polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS, one of several overdiagnosed conditions we study. Symptoms of this hormonal and metabolic disorder include menstrual irregularities, not ovulating during a menstrual cycle, the development of type 2 diabetes and potentially to cardiovascular disease.