The evidence that rates of type 2 diabetes in pregnancy are rising is largely based on global figures1 and individual clinicians' reports of younger pregnant women with the condition.2 Until recently, care for women with diabetes in pregnancy has focused on type 1 diabetes. A paper in this week's BMJ finds that high rates of congenital anomalies, stillbirth, and neonatal death were reported in women with type 2 diabetes as well as those with type 1 diabetes.3

Data on trends and variations in prevalence in pregnancy are sparse and based largely on indigenous and migrant populations in North America and New Zealand.2 Comparisons between studies are difficult as inclusion criteria are inconsistent. Studies vary according to whether they count miscarriages or terminations in their adverse outcomes and whether they include women who are diagnosed as having diabetes in pregnancy and are subsequently found to have type 2 diabetes. Migration of women from countries in Africa and South Asia with high rates of type 2 …