One in eight mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes, research finds

One in eight mothers in England is now diagnosed with gestational diabetes, after diagnoses of the condition rose by 60 per cent in just five years, according to a major study.

The research found that rates of gestational diabetes increased from around 8 per cent of pregnancies in 2018 to more than 12 per cent in 2022.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) develops when the body cannot produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

It is the most common complication to occur during pregnancy and is associated with a heightened risk of preterm birth, emergency caesarean section, and babies being born either larger or smaller than expected for their gestational age.

The condition is also linked to longer-term health risks for both mothers and their children.

Laura Magee is professor of women’s health at King’s College London and co-investigator on the study.

She said: “Pregnancy outcomes for women with gestational diabetes are still worse than those for women without gestational diabetes.

“Further work is required to address how control of blood sugar and timed birth can address the excess of adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with the general maternity population.

“Follow-up after birth is also essential, as women with prior gestational diabetes are at increased risk of cardiometabolic disease, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, but also high blood pressure and elevated blood cholesterol, starting within the first year after birth.”

For the study, researchers analysed routinely collected NHS maternity data covering more than 2.3 million mothers and around 2.8 million births across 184 hospitals in England between 2018 and 2022, making it one of the largest investigations of its kind.

The study uncovered marked inequalities in both the prevalence of gestational diabetes and pregnancy outcomes more broadly.

The sharpest rises in diagnoses were recorded among Asian women, among whom rates reached around 23 per cent, and among women living in the most deprived areas, where rates climbed to about 14 per cent.

The disparities extended beyond gestational diabetes.

Black mothers were found to be more likely to experience an emergency caesarean birth, women in deprived areas were more likely to give birth prematurely, and Asian mothers were more likely to have babies born small for their gestational age.

Among these higher-risk groups, researchers found that a diagnosis of gestational diabetes further compounded the risk of preterm birth.

Rising maternal age, increasing rates of obesity and improvements in how data is captured by the NHS are all likely to be contributing to the growing prevalence of the condition, the researchers said.

Notably, they found that changes to gestational diabetes screening introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic did not meaningfully affect the overall upward trend in diagnoses, suggesting the rise reflects genuine underlying changes in the population rather than shifts in testing practice.

The researchers said the findings pointed to an urgent need to strengthen maternity services and improve support for the women at greatest risk.

Experts said the findings also carried implications that extend well beyond pregnancy itself.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, said the study was part of a wider pattern of research using large-scale health data to uncover hidden risks.

“Big data research studies like this, which can now analyse millions of healthcare records, are uncovering a concerning rise in conditions which raise people’s chances of having a future heart attack or stroke,” she said.

“Gestational diabetes often goes away after pregnancy, but it can increase women’s risk of future cardiovascular disease.”

Dr Babu-Narayan called on healthcare professionals to routinely ask women about pregnancy-related risk factors, regardless of how long ago the pregnancy took place.

“Healthcare professionals who want to fully understand people’s risk of heart attack and stroke should routinely ask women about risk factors unique to them, such as diabetes or high blood pressure in pregnancy – even if that pregnancy was decades earlier,” she said.

“If you are a woman who has had diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy, it is especially important to attend health checks when invited.”

With thanks to our media partner, FemTech World, for providing this article.