Gestational diabetes among pregnant women before childbirth is on the rise, climbing 27% from 2016 to 2021, according to federal data released Wednesday.
The rate of prepregnancy diabetes mellitus — or PDM — recorded on birth certificates nationwide rose from 8.6 to 10.9 for every 1,000 births over that period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
“PDM rates also increased for nearly every category of all characteristics analyzed, including maternal race and Hispanic origin, age, BMI and state of residence, from 2016 to 2021,” CDC statistician Elizabeth Gregory told The Washington Times.
Gestational diabetes most commonly occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy when a woman’s body naturally muffles insulin signals, sparking labor difficulties for the woman and long-term afflictions for a newborn baby. Hormones such as estrogen, cortisol and human placental lactogen often trigger it as they increase blood sugar to more than double the normal level to cope with the increased energy demands of an unborn fetus.
According to the study of 3,664,292 registered births, the gestational diabetes rate in 2021 rose more sharply as the age and weight of the mothers increased, reflecting long-term risk factors, and was highest among indigenous women. Rates also rose in some states at a significantly higher rate than in others.
From 2016 to 2021, the rates increased in 37 states — ranging from 8% in Florida to 83% in New Mexico — and declined by 38% in Hawaii. Increases in an additional nine states and declines in three states were not statistically significant, the CDC found.
Over that period, three states experienced an increase of 75% or more: New Mexico, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
The report did not give a reason for the increases, and a CDC spokesperson reached for comment declined to speculate.
“The rise in prepregnancy diabetes is of concern, as diabetes can lead to increased complications for the mother and for the developing baby,” said Dr. Valerie L. Baker, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Baker, who is also a professor of gynecology and obstetrics, added in an email: “This rise is likely due at least in part to an increase in the percentage of women who are overweight or who have obesity.”
The CDC reported on March 16 that the number of mothers who died during pregnancy or within six weeks of childbirth surged during the second year of the pandemic.
In 2021, 1,205 women died of maternal causes nationwide compared with 861 in 2020 and 754 in 2019, the CDC said. The maternal mortality rate was 32.9 deaths for every 100,000 live births in 2021, up 38% from 23.8 in 2020 and 63% from 20.1 in 2019.
The new analysis of birth records follows multiple studies that show gestational diabetes growing more common in the past three decades.
Besides obesity, medical experts have attributed the increase to the rising share of U.S. mothers who are older, non-White and likelier to give birth to twins compared with past decades.
“Particular racial groups are more vulnerable to PDM, and there may have been a shift in the relative number of births among specific high-risk racial groups,” said Dr. John V. Campo, a pediatric psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.