February 11, 2026
2 min read
Key takeaways:
- In women with gestational diabetes, incidence rates for adverse maternal outcomes were similar regardless of polycystic ovary syndrome status.
- PCOS did not affect weight loss with a low-energy diet.
Among a group of women with gestational diabetes, those with polycystic ovary syndrome had similar rates of adverse pregnancy and neonatal outcomes as women without PCOS, researchers reported.
In a secondary analysis of the Dietary Intervention in Gestational Diabetes trial conducted in the U.K., women with gestational diabetes and PCOS had similar anthropometric measures, HbA1c and continuous glucose monitoring metrics at 36 weeks’ gestation as those with gestational diabetes but no PCOS. There were no significant differences for all adverse pregnancy outcomes between women with PCOS and those without PCOS, and among women who were randomly assigned to a low-energy dietary intervention in the study, those with PCOS had similar weight loss as those without PCOS.
“Women with PCOS and gestational diabetes can have healthy pregnancies with good outcomes, and benefit equally from dietary interventions in pregnancy,” Claire L. Meek, MBChB, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, professor of diabetes in pregnancy at Leicester Diabetes Centre, University of Leicester in the U.K., told Healio. “Having PCOS is not a barrier to good pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes.”
The Dietary Intervention in Gestational Diabetes trial included 425 pregnant women aged 18 years or older and with a prepregnancy BMI of 25 kg/m2 or higher diagnosed with gestational diabetes prior to 36 weeks’ gestation. Participants were randomly assigned to partake in a reduced-energy diet where they received meal boxes with daily calorie intake of 1,200 kcal or a standard-energy diet with meal boxes that included a daily calorie intake of 2,000 kcal. Participants self-reported whether they had a history of PCOS. Outcomes were assessed at 36 weeks’ gestation, delivery and 12 weeks after delivery. Maternal outcomes included change in body weight, BMI, HbA1c, CGM metrics, blood pressure, medications, birth modality and pregnancy complications. Neonatal outcomes included birth weight, birth weight z score and whether infants were considered small or large for gestational age.
No differences in anthropometric measures were seen between women with PCOS and those without PCOS during the study. There were no differences in any maternal outcomes between the two groups. Women with PCOS were more likely to have offspring with neonatal jaundice than those without PCOS (24.44% vs. 8.9%; P = .002), but no differences for other neonatal outcomes were observed.
After adjusting for study site, baseline maternal weight, PCOS status and in vitro fertilization, women receiving the low-energy dietary intervention experienced similar maternal weight change as those receiving a standard-energy diet. In a multivariable-adjusted model, the low-energy diet group was less likely to use long-acting insulin at 36 weeks’ gestation than the standard-energy diet group (OR = 0.57; 95% CI, 0.34-0.94; P = .028).
Meek said the study’s findings are “reassuring” for pregnant women with gestational diabetes and PCOS.
“Our findings that dietary interventions for gestational diabetes are equally effective in women with PCOS is encouraging,” Meek added. “Dietary guidelines for gestational diabetes are achievable and beneficial for women with PCOS.”
Meek said more research is needed on how both gestational diabetes and PCOS affect women during pregnancy as well as later in life.
“Both PCOS and gestational diabetes are associated with longer-term risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and we need better ways of keeping women healthy throughout their lives,” Meek said.
For more information:
Claire L. Meek, MBChB, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, can be reached at cm881@leicester.ac.uk or X @ClaireMeek5.
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date: 2026-02-11 13:46:00
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