Rates of type 2 diabetes are surging at twice the pace in younger women compared to their older counterparts, according to new analysis.
Charity Diabetes UK suggests this alarming trend could stem from “little or no follow-up care” for individuals who develop the condition during pregnancy.
Gestational diabetes (GD), characterised by insufficient insulin production leading to high blood sugar during pregnancy, typically resolves after childbirth.
However, those affected face a significantly elevated risk of subsequently developing type 2 diabetes.
Data compiled by Diabetes UK reveals a 47 per cent increase in type 2 diabetes diagnoses among women under 40 between 2017/18 and 2023/24.
This contrasts sharply with a 22 per cent rise observed in women aged 40 to 79 over the same period.
The charity has voiced concerns that inadequate post-natal care for GD, which impacts between 10 and 20 per cent of pregnant women, is a significant contributor to these escalating rates.
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, which was published last year by NHS England, showed that only 57% of women had an annual HbA1c test after having GD.
It also showed that more than one in 10 (11%) of women with GD developed prediabetes within a year, while 15% developed type 2 diabetes within 10 years.
Colette Marshall, chief executive at Diabetes UK, said: “These figures should be a wake-up call.
“Type 2 diabetes is rising twice as fast in younger women compared to older women, and a crucial opportunity for prevention is being missed.
“Every diagnosis is life-changing, but when it develops in younger people, type 2 diabetes is even more aggressive.
“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.”
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.”
Diabetes UK has written to women’s health minister Baroness Merron, calling for urgent action to bolster postnatal support for those with GD.
Ms Marshall said: “As the Government turns its strategy into action, support for women who have had gestational diabetes must not be overlooked.”
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.