obesity

A new study from Northwestern Medicine reveals a troubling rise in severe maternal health issues and birth complications in Illinois from 2016 to 2023, closely linked to increases in chronic health conditions affecting pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, mental health disorders and especially obesity, which saw the largest increase in annual rates.

The findings reflect national trends demonstrating the increasing prevalence of conditions such as obesity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes among pregnant people of all ages, she added.

The findings reflected an increase in hospital coding for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes, anemia, depression, serious mental illness and other chronic conditions, especially obesity, even among those giving birth who are younger than 30.

Previous studies have found an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and obesity later in life for infants exposed to GDM in utero.

"We often think that babies exposed to gestational diabetes will automatically be at higher risk for childhood obesity, but our findings show a more complex picture," said Elizabeth Widen, corresponding author and assistant professor of nutritional sciences at UT Austin.