One in eight mothers in England is now diagnosed with gestational diabetes, after diagnoses of the condition rose by 60 per cent in just five years, according to a major study.

The research found that rates of gestational diabetes increased from around 8 per cent of pregnancies in 2018 to more than 12 per cent in 2022.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) develops when the body cannot produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

It is the most common complication to occur during pregnancy and is associated with a heightened risk of preterm birth, emergency caesarean section, and babies being born either larger or smaller than expected for their gestational age.

The condition is also linked to longer-term health risks for both mothers and their children.

Laura Magee is professor of women’s health at King’s College London and co-investigator on the study.

She said: “Pregnancy outcomes for women with gestational diabetes are still worse than those for women without gestational diabetes.

“Further work is required to address how control of blood sugar and timed birth can address the excess of adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with the general maternity population.

“Follow-up after birth is also essential, as women with prior gestational diabetes are at increased risk of cardiometabolic disease, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, but also high blood pressure and elevated blood cholesterol, starting within the first year after birth.”

For the study, researchers analysed routinely collected NHS maternity data covering more than 2.3 million mothers and around 2.8 million births across 184 hospitals in England between 2018 and 2022, making it one of the largest investigations of its kind.

The study uncovered marked inequalities in both the prevalence of gestational diabetes and pregnancy outcomes more broadly.

The sharpest rises in diagnoses were recorded among Asian women, among whom rates reached around 23 per cent, and among women living in the most deprived areas, where rates climbed to about 14 per cent.

The disparities extended beyond gestational diabetes.

Black mothers were found to be more likely to experience an emergency caesarean birth, women in deprived areas were more likely to give birth prematurely, and Asian mothers were more likely to have babies born small for their gestational age.

Among these higher-risk groups, researchers found that a diagnosis of gestational diabetes further compounded the risk of preterm birth.

Rising maternal age, increasing rates of obesity and improvements in how data is captured by the NHS are all likely to be contributing to the growing prevalence of the condition, the researchers said.

Notably, they found that changes to gestational diabetes screening introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic did not meaningfully affect the overall upward trend in diagnoses, suggesting the rise reflects genuine underlying changes in the population rather than shifts in testing practice.

The researchers said the findings pointed to an urgent need to strengthen maternity services and improve support for the women at greatest risk.

Experts said the findings also carried implications that extend well beyond pregnancy itself.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, clinical director at the British Heart Foundation, said the study was part of a wider pattern of research using large-scale health data to uncover hidden risks.

“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 said.

“Gestational diabetes often goes away after pregnancy, but it can increase women’s risk of future cardiovascular disease.”

Dr Babu-Narayan called on healthcare professionals to routinely ask women about pregnancy-related risk factors, regardless of how long ago the pregnancy took place.

“Healthcare professionals who want to fully understand people’s risk of heart attack and stroke should routinely ask women about risk factors unique to them, such as diabetes or high blood pressure in pregnancy – even if that pregnancy was decades earlier,” she said.

“If you are a woman who has had diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy, it is especially important to attend health checks when invited.”

Parenthood is associated with changes in women’s health that are not seen in men, including reduced exercise and differences in wellbeing, new research has revealed.

Men’s health indicators varied only slightly depending on whether they were fathers, while the number and age of children were linked to changes in women’s health.

Anna Barbuscia, of the OPIK research group at the EHU-University of the Basque Country, said sharing parental responsibilities more equally could help reduce these differences.

Having children can bring significant biological, psychological and social changes, but the study found that the effects varied considerably between women and men.

Barbuscia said: “Having children has greater consequences for the health of the mother, both in the short and long term.

“This is not only because of the biological changes as a result of the pregnancy and birth, but also the psychological consequences. Our findings show a significant gender gap.”

The study, carried out by the OPIK research group, examined the relationship between motherhood and fatherhood and several health indicators.

These included psychological wellbeing, perceived health, physical exercise, alcohol consumption and smoking.

The researchers also considered whether the number and age of participants’ children influenced these indicators.

“It was observed that, in men, neither the fact of being a father, nor family characteristics, affected the health indicators. All parameters remained practically the same,” said Barbuscia.

The findings showed a different pattern among women, with the number and age of their children associated with changes in health and wellbeing.

Mothers with only one child and those with adolescent children reported more depressive symptoms.

Women living with two or more young children reported a better perception of their overall health.

“Caring for younger children usually demands greater physical effort, which may result in increased tiredness and poorer quality sleep.

“Adolescence, on the other hand, has traditionally been considered the most stressful phase for both mothers and fathers,” Barbuscia said.

The study also found a significant gender difference in physical activity.

Women generally did less regular physical exercise than men, and the gap widened when they had children.

“Only 16 per cent of mothers with young children do regular exercise, compared to 30 per cent of women who do not have children.

“In men, however, again, there was scarcely any difference between those who are fathers and those who are not,” Barbuscia said.

“This all indicates that maternity reduces the time available for personal care, which has an impact on a habit as important for health as physical activity.”

Barbuscia said the findings should be considered when designing family policies and planning healthcare services.

“Facilitating work-family balance is not enough. It is also necessary to ensure that mothers have time to look after their own health and wellbeing. Investing in this time is investing in health.”

She added that sharing parental responsibilities more equally between mothers and fathers could help reduce the inequalities observed.

“If we want to build healthy families and encourage people to have children, we need to start by ensuring that raising children does not have such an unequal impact on men and women.”

More young midwives are leaving the NHS before 35 as burnout adds pressure to stretched maternity services, new research has revealed.

The trend has raised concerns about the quality and safety of care for mothers and babies in understaffed maternity units.

During 2025-26, 1,669 midwives aged 34 or under left the health service in England, representing 57 per cent of the 2,949 midwives of all ages who resigned.

The pressures of maternity care, including increasingly complex childbirth and the risks involved, are thought to be among the factors behind the trend.

Hannah Leonard, deputy chief midwife at the Royal College of Midwives, said the exodus of midwives under 35 was “deeply worrying” and showed that too many were ending up “burnt-out within a few years of qualifying because every shift means too few colleagues, missed breaks and unpaid hours”.

She added: “Losing these midwives, and students, even before they qualify, is a terrible waste of talent.”

The figures, revealed in parliamentary questions tabled by the Liberal Democrats, show that 205 of last year’s younger leavers were under 25, while 655 were aged 25 to 29 and 809 were aged 30 to 34.

The number of midwives under 35 leaving the NHS has risen sharply in recent years. The 2025-26 figure was 59 per cent higher than the 1,051 who left in 2014-15, according to NHS figures.

Burnout means long-term physical and emotional exhaustion, often linked to sustained pressure at work.

Separate figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats suggest almost one in four midwifery students are leaving before completing their three-year degree.

In 2021, 3,565 students started a midwifery degree, but 2,725 graduated in 2024, meaning 840, or 24 per cent, did not complete the course.

Midwifery students spend much of their second and third years learning on the job in maternity units.

The loss of staff and students underlines what the Royal College of Midwives has described as a “staffing emergency” in maternity care across the UK.

A recent survey by the Royal College of Midwives found that three-quarters of midwives had considered leaving the profession over the last year, mainly because of concerns over staffing levels and patient safety.

Both recent large-scale reviews of maternity care in England, led by Donna Ockenden and Valerie Amos, identified staffing shortages as a key problem affecting patient safety.

Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said: “These statistics reveal an alarming crisis in maternity, with far too many midwives burning out early in their career and in their training. Patients are paying the price, and mothers are left with no alternative but to give birth on understaffed and unsafe wards.

“Rather than throw money at yet more new recruits who quit under intolerable pressure, the government needs a new approach. Through guaranteeing protected, year-round training and professional development we can help midwives cope with rising complexity and risk.”

About 10 per cent of all midwives leave the NHS each year.

However, the figures show higher leaving rates among younger midwives, with one in seven, or 14.6 per cent, of those aged 25 to 29 and one in six, or 16.6 per cent, of those aged 30 to 34 leaving during 2025-26.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Under this government we have a record number of midwives in the workforce and we value the vital service they provide in maternity and neonatal units across the country.

“To make the NHS the best employer it can be, we have introduced new NHS staff standards to improve health and wellbeing support, promote flexible working, as well as crucial measures to tackle violence, sexual harassment or abuse and racism.

“Alongside consecutive above-inflation pay rises, we’ve bolstered the midwifery workforce through our graduate guarantee and recently opened up 1,000 more midwifery roles backed by £10m to help prevent student midwives leaving the profession.”

Department of Health and Social Care figures show a record 25,500 full-time-equivalent midwives are working in the NHS, 2,000 more than when the Labour government took office in July 2024.