Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have a near 10-fold increased relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes than women with a normoglycaemic pregnancy, a meta-analysis shows.

The magnitude of this elevated risk — higher than previously demonstrated — underlines the importance of postpartum screening among these women in the primary and secondary care setting, the UK researchers say.

The University of Leicester-led team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 observational studies with a total 1.3 million participants to compare progression rates to type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes and healthy controls.

About 68,000 women in the cohort had a history of gestational diabetes. The mean age ranged from 20 to 48 years and the average follow-up was between one to 16 years.