Gut Microbiota Composition Differs for Those With, Without Gestational Diabetes

TUESDAY, July 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Fecal microbiota analysis of pregnant women may provide early identification of those at risk for gestational diabetes, according to a study published online July 1 in Microbiology Spectrum.

Weirong Yao, from the Second Hospital of Zhangzhou in China, and colleagues analyzed the fecal microbiota of 61 pregnant women during the first trimester using 16S rRNA sequencing.

The researchers found that microbial profiles were correlated with oral glucose tolerance test results at 24 to 28 weeks of gestation and clinical delivery outcomes. Significant differences in gut microbiota composition between gestational diabetes mellitus and healthy pregnancies were seen for both the phylum and genus levels. An early diagnostic model based on genus-level markers achieved an area under the curve of 98.23, indicating high diagnostic precision.

“These findings suggest that microbiota-based tools could enable early, noninvasive detection of gestational diabetes mellitus, offering new opportunities for prevention and personalized management,” the authors write. “This research highlights the role of the gut microbiome in pregnancy and has important implications for improving maternal and fetal health outcomes.”

Abstract/Full Text