WHO issues first global guidelines for managing diabetes in pregnancy

Uncontrolled diabetes in pregnancy dramatically increases the risk of pre-eclampsia, stillbirth, birth injuries, and long-term cardiometabolic diseases

The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled its first-ever global guidelines for managing diabetes during pregnancy, a condition affecting one in six pregnancies worldwide—around 21 million women each year. The move aims to curb life-threatening complications and long-term health risks for both mothers and their children.

Uncontrolled diabetes in pregnancy dramatically increases the risk of pre-eclampsia, stillbirth, birth injuries, and long-term cardiometabolic diseases. Low- and middle-income countries bear the heaviest burden, often lacking access to specialized care and essential medicines.

“WHO has long issued guidance on diabetes and on pregnancy separately, but this is the first time we’ve provided a dedicated standard of care for diabetes in pregnancy,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “These guidelines are evidence-based and designed to meet the realities of women’s lives, ensuring high-quality care for every woman, everywhere.”

The guidelines outline 27 key recommendations, including, idividualized care such as tailored advice on diet, exercise, and blood sugar targets, and optimal monitoring like regular blood glucose checks during clinic visits and at home.

As per the guidelines, personalized treatment should be followed like medication strategies for type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes when drugs are needed.

Launched on World Diabetes Day 2025, whose theme is “Diabetes Across Life Stages,” the guidelines highlight the need for integrated care and equitable access to essential medicines and technologies. WHO emphasized that diabetes is one of the fastest-growing health challenges worldwide, affecting more than 800 million people and contributing to heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, and limb amputations.

By promoting a life-course approach, the campaign calls for urgent action to ensure no one is left behind—from children to older adults—and stresses the importance of prevention, management, and support for long-term well-being.

The WHO guidelines mark a pivotal step toward strengthening maternal health, combating non-communicable diseases, and giving millions of women the tools to have safer pregnancies.