Lucknow: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), a condition in which high blood sugar develops during pregnancy, is increasing, reflecting a steady rise linked to changing lifestyles and early metabolic disorders among women.Doctors at King George’s Medical University (KGMU) said that around 33% of pregnant women are either diagnosed with GDM or fall in the pre-GDM category, meaning nearly 1 in 3 now has abnormal blood sugar levels during pregnancy. “Daily, about 50 women are diagnosed with GDM or pre-GDM out of 150–180 women screened,” said a faculty member from the obstetrics and gynaecology department. This figure is substantially higher than earlier estimates. In 2018, data from the ministry of health and family welfare suggested that 10–14% of pregnant women in Uttar Pradesh were affected. Experts attribute the rise to delayed pregnancies, increasing obesity, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets, and growing insulin resistance, even among younger women. The trend mirrors national findings. The ICMR-INDIAB study reported that the overall prevalence of GDM in India is 22.4%, meaning nearly 1 in 4 pregnant women develops high blood sugar during pregnancy despite no prior history of diabetes. The study also found that GDM is no longer confined to urban populations, with prevalence at 24.2% in urban areas and 21.6% in rural areas. Another key concern is the early onset. Around 19.2% of women were diagnosed before 20 weeks of pregnancy, while 23.4% developed GDM after 20 weeks, suggesting that many women enter pregnancy with existing metabolic risk factors. Explaining the biological process, Prof Smriti Agrawal from KGMU said that blood sugar levels are usually normal in early pregnancy. As pregnancy progresses, hormones reduce the effectiveness of insulin, which is responsible for moving sugar from the blood into the cells. “Some insulin resistance is normal and helps the baby get enough nutrition, but in some women this resistance becomes excessive and leads to gestational diabetes,” she said. Prof Anjoo Agrawal, head of obstetrics and gynaecology at KGMU, added that pregnancy hormones such as hCG and progesterone further increase insulin resistance. Dr Malvika Mishra from RMLIMS said uncontrolled GDM may result in larger baby size, low blood sugar in newborns, temporary breathing problems, jaundice, and difficult deliveries due to the baby’s size. However, she emphasised that most of these complications can be prevented with timely diagnosis and proper management.
