Type 2 diabetes is surging in young women, according to new data, with warnings that "little or no follow-up care" for those who develop diabetes during pregnancy could be behind the worrying trend.
Rapid Rise in Diagnoses
Analysis by Diabetes UK found the condition is rising twice as fast in younger adult women than in older women. The charity warns this could be down to gestational diabetes (GD), which can happen when women cannot produce enough insulin while pregnant, leading to high blood sugar. It usually disappears after the birth, although patients face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Colette Marshall, chief executive at Diabetes UK, said rising Type 2 diabetes among mums could be down to the "little or no follow-up care" for those who develop GD while pregnant. She said: "These figures should be a wake-up call. Every diagnosis is life-changing, but when it develops in younger people, type 2 diabetes is even more aggressive."
Statistics Highlight the Gap
Analysis by Diabetes UK shows that from 2017/18 to 2023/24, diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in women under 40 rose by 47%, compared to 22% in women aged between 40 and 79. The charity says GD affects between 10% and 20% of pregnant women. Women with GD should be offered HbA1c blood tests to check for diabetes between six and 13 weeks after birth, and then once a year to measure average blood sugar levels.
The first annual gestational diabetes audit, published last year by NHS England, showed that only 57% of women had an annual HbA1c test after having GD. It also revealed that 11% of women with GD developed prediabetes within a year, while 15% developed type 2 diabetes within 10 years.
Missed Opportunity for Prevention
Colette added: "Type 2 diabetes is rising twice as fast in younger women compared to older women, and a crucial opportunity for prevention is being missed. Pregnancy shouldn't be a pathway to ill health. Yet despite facing a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes, too many women with GD receive little or no follow-up care after pregnancy."
Around 4.7 million people in the UK are living with a diabetes diagnosis, although Diabetes UK estimates almost 1.3 million have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.
Personal Story: Meg's Experience
Meg, 33, was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 2020 when pregnant with her son. Six years later, she has still not had a postnatal check-up regarding diabetes risks. The teacher from Somerset said: "I had gestational diabetes for the last two weeks of my pregnancy, before my son arrived prematurely at 29 weeks. I was given no information about my increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and the steps I could take to prevent it. I had a phone call with my GP after the birth, but there weren't any discussions about my gestational diabetes. I'm surprised that I never had follow-up HbA1c checks, particularly as I'm considered high risk for type 2 diabetes, not only because of the gestational diabetes, but also because I have polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome and family members with type 2 diabetes. Having clear facts about what gestational diabetes means for you during and after pregnancy, and how to manage it, would have made me feel so much more supported, both physically and mentally."
Call for Action
Diabetes UK has written to women's health minister Baroness Merron, calling for urgent action to bolster postnatal support for those with GD.
