One in eight mothers in England is now diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy, according to new research from the University of Edinburgh. The study, which analyzed hospital data from 2018 to 2022, found a 60% increase in diagnoses over five years, with particularly sharp rises among Asian women and those living in deprived areas.
Sharp rise in cases
The research, published in BMJ Medicine, examined more than two million women who gave birth to 2.8 million babies across 184 hospitals. In 2018, one in 12 mothers was diagnosed with gestational diabetes; by 2022, that figure had risen to one in eight.
The condition occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin to meet the extra needs of pregnancy, leading to high blood sugar. It can cause complications such as premature birth, emergency Caesarean sections, and babies born either larger or smaller than expected. It also increases the mother's risk of future cardiovascular disease and pre-eclampsia.
Ethnic and deprivation disparities
The rise was highest among women of colour, with a 23% increase among Asian women and 14% among those in deprived areas. Researchers noted: "In 2022, two in every 21 white mothers received a diagnosis of gestational diabetes; for black mothers, the rate was two in every 13, and for Asian mothers, two in every nine."
These groups also faced higher risks of complications. Deprived women were 29% more likely to have a pre-term birth, black mothers had 36% higher odds of an emergency Caesarean, and Asian women were more than twice as likely to have a small baby.
Healthcare system under strain
Researchers warned that the increase "should be recognised as a vulnerability in the healthcare system, affecting the wellbeing of mothers and their children." They called for health policy to ensure antenatal clinics can handle the increased caseload and provide adequate care.
Professor Rebecca Reynolds, from the University of Edinburgh, said: "This is the first time we have managed to estimate the number of women with gestational diabetes in the UK. The rising number of women being diagnosed is concerning and impacts on maternity services delivery which are already challenged."
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, Clinical Director at the British Heart Foundation, added: "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 emphasized that healthcare professionals should routinely ask women about pregnancy-related risk factors, even if the pregnancy occurred decades earlier.
The NHS notes that gestational diabetes often has few symptoms and can occur at any stage of pregnancy, though it is more common in the second or third trimester. While the condition usually disappears after birth, affected women face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
