The rate of gestational diabetes in the U.K. has climbed sharply since 2018, with the steepest increases affecting women from non-White backgrounds and deprived areas, according to a large study published in BMJ Medicine.
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh examined electronic health records from 184 hospitals in England, covering 2,758,170 births to 2,314,365 women aged 16–50 years between 2018 and 2022. Diagnoses rose from about 8% of pregnancies in 2018 to 12% in 2022, despite a decline in the overall number of births during that time.
Disproportionate rise among non-White and deprived groups
The increase was uneven. Asian women experienced a 23% jump in diagnoses over the four-year period, while those in the most deprived areas saw a 14% rise. By 2022, around two in nine Asian mothers and two in 13 Black mothers had the condition.
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Professor Rebecca Reynolds, who led the work, and her colleagues observed these differences alongside broader health gaps. Women from non-White ethnic groups and those in high-deprivation areas already faced higher risks for preterm births and babies born small for gestational age. The condition worsened those risks, increasing the chance of early delivery.
The study also connected gestational diabetes to higher rates of emergency cesarean births and babies born large for gestational age, even after accounting for deprivation and ethnicity. The team described the trend as a growing strain on the healthcare system, warning antenatal clinics might not handle the rising number of cases.
Screening changes didn’t slow the trend
During the COVID-19 pandemic, some hospitals switched from oral glucose tolerance tests to hemoglobin A1C and plasma glucose measurements when possible. The adjustment did not change the upward trend in diagnoses.
Similar patterns have emerged in U.S. data, indicating the problem is not limited to the U.K. The challenge lies in whether the system can adjust quickly enough to support the women most affected.
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Reynolds and her team called on policymakers to focus on strategies that improve care for high-risk groups. Without action, long-term health consequences for mothers and children could grow worse, widening existing gaps in maternal and infant outcomes.
The study used International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision codes to define gestational diabetes and excluded women with pre-existing diabetes. It did not investigate whether shifts in diet, obesity rates, or other lifestyle factors played a role, leaving some aspects unexplored.
Overall, 9.9% of pregnancies had a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, and the impact falls unevenly.
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