Gestational diabetes raises risk of cognitive decline in mothers, ADHD and autism in children
Published: 16 Sep 2025
Assistant Professor Queenie Li Ling Jun (left) from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Global Centre for Asian Women’s Health (GloW) at NUS Medicine with Ms Caitlin Por (right), medical student at Monash University, presenting author of systematic review and meta-analysis of 48 observational studies involving over 9 million pregnancies, at the 2025 Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
A landmark international study led by Assistant Professor Queenie Li Ling Jun, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), has revealed that gestational diabetes (GDM) during pregnancy is strongly associated with declines in intellectual function for mothers and a higher risk of developmental, behavioural, and autism spectrum disorders in children.
While GDM often resolves after birth, findings from this new global synthesis underscores the far-reaching effects of GDM on mother and child. researchers found that on average, mothers with a history of GDM scored 2.47 points lower on cognitive assessments than peers without GDM. Children exposed to gestational diabetes face a 36% increased risk of ADHD and 56% higher risk of autism spectrum disorders compared to children born to mothers without diabetes.
These findings hold particular relevance for Singapore, where GDM affects about one in five pregnancies—higher than the global average—and childhood autism rates already stand at about 1 in 150, above many other countries.
As it is still not fully clear how GDM affects a child’s brain development, the research team calls for longer-term follow-up and studies to clarify the links between GDM and the full spectrum of cognitive functions.
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