Diabetes now affects 1 in 6 pregnancies: What you need to know

This Friday, for World Diabetes Day, the UN is highlighting how the disease affects pregnancy, in line with this year’s global theme of managing diabetes “across life stages”.

The organization has also launched its first-ever global guidelines on how to manage diabetes before, during and after pregnancy.

“These guidelines are grounded in the realities of women’s lives and health needs, and provide clear, evidence-based strategies to deliver high-quality care for every woman, everywhere,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who heads the UN World Health Organization (WHO).

The guidance aims to support the 21 million pregnancies affected by diabetes annually, offering recommendations that recognise how diabetes-related risks evolve throughout life.

Why it matters

Diabetes now affects more than 800 million people globally – and around half are undiagnosed, according to the new WHO report.

It is a major cause of heart disease, kidney failure, blindness and amputations. Its impact is rising fastest in low and middle-income countries, where access to care and essential medicines is often limited.

This year’s World Diabetes Day message stresses the importance of improving diabetes care throughout life, starting even before pregnancy and continuing into early childhood and adulthood.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when the body cannot properly regulate blood glucose.

• Type 2 diabetes accounts for 95 per cent of cases and is associated with being overweight, insufficient physical activity and genetics, according to WHO.
• The causes of type 1 diabetes remain unknown, and those affected require lifelong insulin treatment.
• Diabetes prevalence has been rising worldwide for decades, placing increasing pressure on health systems.

Pregnancy: A critical window

Diabetes in pregnancy can be pre-existent or first detected during pregnancy.

Women who develop diabetes during pregnancy face a higher risk of type 2 diabetes after childbirth.

The condition increases the risk of life-threatening complications, including pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive disorders.

Babies face higher risks of stillbirth, seizures and congenital abnormalities. Children born after diabetes-complicated pregnancies are more likely to develop obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes later in life.

What WHO recommends

The WHO Global Diabetes Compact offers tools to improve prevention and care worldwide.

The newly launched pregnancy guidelines set out 27 recommendations, including:

• Eating a diet low in added sugars, with carbohydrates from whole grains, vegetables, fruits and pulses
• At least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, including resistance training
• Regular blood glucose monitoring
• Routine ultrasound scans before and after 24 weeks
• Appropriate medical treatment