New research has revealed the scale of stigma experienced by women with gestational diabetes, highlighting the significant toll on their wellbeing.
The findings, unveiled at our Professional Conference (DUKPC), showed that more than half of pregnant women with gestational diabetes experience stigma. This comes from healthcare professionals, family, friends, and wider society - both during pregnancy and beyond birth.
Gestational diabetes affects about one in 20 pregnancies in the UK. With women often subjected to heightened judgement and scrutiny about their diet and physical activity during pregnancy, a GDM diagnosis can amplify the stigma they face.
Diabetes stigma comes in many forms - from throwaway comments to false assumptions. Its impacts are severe. Stigma can stop some people living with diabetes from seeking the support they need, and evidence shows this can lead to higher blood sugar levels and increase their risk of diabetes complications.
The new research surveyed 1,800 women across the UK who had experienced gestational diabetes and conducted focus groups to understand the drivers of stigma and develop tools to combat its harmful effects. It was funded by us at Diabetes UK and led by researchers at King's College London and University College Cork.
The results
The survey revealed that many women experienced emotional distress at diagnosis, with over two-thirds (68%) reporting anxiety, 58% feeling upset, and 48% experiencing fear. For many, the psychological impact continued beyond birth, with 61% saying gestational diabetes negatively affected their feelings about future pregnancies.
Experiences of stigma and misunderstanding were widespread. Nearly half (49%) of women felt judged for having gestational, while 47% felt judged because of their body size. Over 80% felt that other people did not understand gestational diabetes, and more than a third (36%) concealed their diagnosis from others.
Gestational diabetes stigma was also frequently experienced in healthcare settings, with 48% saying professionals made assumptions about their diet and exercise, and more than half (52%) feeling judged based on their blood glucose results.
Many women described a loss of control and a sense of disruption to their pregnancy experience. Nearly two-thirds (64%) felt they were denied a ‘normal’ pregnancy, while 76% reported a lack of control over their pregnancy. More than a third (36%) of women felt abandoned by healthcare services after giving birth, and one in four (25%) continued to experience depression or anxiety postpartum.
In additional focus groups, respondents described encountering harmful stereotypes from loved ones or even professionals in healthcare settings, including assumptions that they were ‘lazy’, had ‘poor eating habits’ or ‘lacked willpower’. Respondents commonly experienced stigmatising phrases from family and friends relating to eating and weight, such as “should you be eating that?” and “you must have eaten too much, that’s why you have gestational diabetes.”
Stopping stigma
The researchers are calling for targeted interventions to reduce stigma, alongside structured emotional support for women during and after pregnancies affected by gestational diabetes, to improve both mental and physical health outcomes.
Victoria, age 40, from London, had gestational diabetes when pregnant with her first daughter. She said:
“When I got the diagnosis, I was really upset. I remember going back home on the tube and having a little cry - it felt like I had done something to harm my baby. I definitely felt at that stage that I had done something wrong either during my pregnancy or maybe in the run-up to my pregnancy, like not leading a super healthy, fit life.”
Victoria continued, “There were a few people who didn't really understand gestational diabetes. Anytime anyone asked me, ‘should I be eating that?’, I just felt instant rage. It's like, I am doing the best for my baby, it was really frustrating any time someone said that to me. It felt like they were basically saying that I'm not caring for my child. But, with proper support and proper management, you can have a healthy baby and a normal birth. I'd say it's not your fault that you have gestational diabetes, and you shouldn't blame yourself.”
Victoria also experienced stigma from healthcare professionals, she said: “Assumptions were made that I ate specific things, purely based on my race, which wasn't true. I don't really eat carb-heavy meals, but any time my sugar levels were high, and I said that it was due to lack of sleep or stress, the health professional would push back and say, ‘it has to be your diet’. It made me feel like they weren't listening to me. Sometimes I did feel like, what is the point of coming in and talking to the nurse if they're not going to bother to listen to what I'm saying? Some days it would just make me angry, like I'm doing the best that I can for myself and my baby, but they don't believe me.”
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Director of Research and Clinical at Diabetes UK, said:
“Stigma can have a dangerous and devastating impact on pregnant women diagnosed with gestational diabetes, particularly at a time when emotions and anxieties may already be heightened. We know that stigma can lead to shame, isolation and poorer mental health, and may discourage people from attending healthcare appointments, potentially increasing the risk of serious complications. This research highlights the urgent need for better support systems, based on understanding and empathy to ensure no one feels blamed or judged during their pregnancy.”
Professor Angus Forbes, Lead Researcher from King’s College London, said:
“Stigma and emotional distress are far more common in women diagnosed with gestational diabetes than many realise. Everyday interactions - even with those who mean well - can deepen this harm, shaping women’s emotional wellbeing and the choices they feel able to make. It’s clear that meaningful action is needed to protect women’s mental and physical health.”
Risk factors for gestational diabetes include living with overweight or obesity, having a family history of type 2 diabetes, and being from a South Asian, Black or African Caribbean or Middle Eastern background. King's College are developing a range of resources to challenge and counter-regulate stigma in this population, with core messages being that gestational diabetes is common, affecting 1 in 10 women, so you are not alone; it is not your fault it, can affect any woman; and messages to others to stop making assumptions and judgements about women with the condition.
Through our Strike out Stigma campaign, we're committed to raising awareness of the impact of diabetes stigma, improving public understanding, and calling time on the harmful myths and misconceptions around the condition.
