Frontiers | Long-term Maternal and Offspring Outcomes After Gestational Diabetes

About this Research Topic

This Research Topic is currently accepting articles, but is closing soon.

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Background

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has significant long-term implications for both mothers and their children, affecting metabolic, cardiovascular, and developmental health. Advances in genomics, digital health, and precision phenotyping are improving risk prediction, yet translating these tools into equitable care across diverse populations remains challenging. This Research Topic aims to highlight studies that characterize these long-term outcomes and identify evidence-based strategies for prevention, surveillance, and intervention.

The goal of this Research Topic is to address the gaps in understanding the lifelong consequences of gestational diabetes for both mothers and their children. We aim to highlight rigorous research on maternal and offspring metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurodevelopmental outcomes, as well as effective strategies for early detection, risk stratification, and postpartum intervention. By synthesizing evidence across diverse populations, this topic seeks to inform clinical practice and public health policies to improve long-term outcomes after GDM.

This Research Topic will explore the long-term implications of gestational diabetes for mothers and children, emphasizing translational, clinical, and population-level research. Authors are encouraged to address specific questions within the following sub-themes:

• Long-term maternal outcomes – trajectories of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and multimorbidity following GDM

• Offspring metabolic and developmental outcomes – neurodevelopment, obesity, and metabolic risk in children exposed to GDM in utero

• Mechanistic studies – placental, epigenetic, and molecular pathways underlying maternal and offspring outcomes

• Postpartum surveillance and prevention strategies – digital glucose monitoring, lifestyle interventions, pharmacologic approaches, and risk stratification tools

• Health disparities – inequities in access to care, postpartum follow-up, and outcomes across socioeconomic, ethnic, or geographic groups

• Translational and precision medicine approaches – use of genomics, digital health, and precision phenotyping to improve prediction and intervention

• Challenging assumptions – evaluations that refine or refute insufficiently supported claims about GDM sequelae, informing guidelines and public health strategies

• Long-term follow-up studies – cohort studies, registry analyses, and population-level research that provide robust evidence on lifelong outcomes

• Interdisciplinary interventions – innovative approaches combining clinical, behavioral, and technological strategies to mitigate long-term risks.

All article types are welcome. Authors should focus on studies that directly contribute to understanding and improving long-term maternal and offspring health after gestational diabetes.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

Brief Research Report
Case Report
Classification
Clinical Trial
Community Case Study
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Keywords: maternal outcomes, Gestational Diabetes, Offspring Outcomes, Long-term Health, Cardiovascular Risk, Metabolic Risk, Neurodevelopment

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.