A major study across seven antenatal clinics with more than 3,000 pregnant women found that early gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects about one in five women. The STRiDE study, involving over 2,700 women from Chennai, Hyderabad, and Puducherry, was published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. It showed 21.5% had early GDM, while 19.5% developed late GDM. Early GDM is marked by fasting blood sugar of 92-125 mg/dl before 20 weeks of pregnancy. Late GDM is diagnosed after 24-28 weeks with lower fasting glucose levels. GDM means glucose intolerance first found during pregnancy and affects 14% of pregnancies worldwide. The STRiDE study aimed to develop a risk score to predict late GDM from early pregnancy tests done before 16 weeks with fasting plasma glucose and HbA1c. Women with early GDM had higher weight, BMI, waist size, blood pressure, and more previous GDM or family history. Late GDM was linked more to family diabetes history. "It is clear that further studies are needed," said V. Mohan, chairman of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and author of the paper. He added, "In India, GDM rates are three to four times higher than in the West, where only women with family history are screened. We must be fully prepared. We are also planning genomic studies to dig deeper." Another study by ICMR with 1,000 women found similar results: 19.2% early GDM and 23.4% late GDM. Researchers stress the need to find the best tests, timings, and treatments to improve outcomes and reduce side effects for mothers and babies.