Background: Pakistan’s collaboration with the World Diabetes Foundation introduced a pioneering initiative to improve maternal and child health through a mass media campaign for the detection, management, and prevention of hyperglycemia in pregnancy (HIP). The program aimed to enhance screening uptake and generate insights into postpartum follow-up (PPFU) trends in resource-constrained settings.

Materials and Methods: The WDF-GDM Project implemented a nationwide mass media campaign across 29 cities in 10 regions of Pakistan. The initiative focused on establishing standardized screening and diagnostic protocols for HIP, training healthcare providers in blood glucose (BG) testing, management, and PPFU, and promoting preconception counseling. Screening was conducted using the DIPSI method, a single-step, non-fasting oral glucose tolerance test with a diagnostic threshold of 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L), applied irrespective of gestational age.

Results: A total of 17,392 pregnant women attended antenatal care, of whom 77.2% (n=13,417) underwent BG screening. The overall prevalence of HIP was 35.7%, including gestational impaired glucose tolerance (25.7%) and gestational diabetes mellitus (9.97%). Approximately 4,767 women were eligible for PPFU; among them, 7% experienced fetal loss. Of the 2,376 women who completed PPFU, 81% were normoglycemic, 9% had impaired fasting glucose, 8% had impaired glucose tolerance, and 2% had diabetes. Notably, around 75% of women with hyperglycemia during pregnancy reverted to normoglycemia postpartum.

Conclusion: This large-scale initiative demonstrates a GDM prevalence of 9.97% in Pakistan and highlights favorable postpartum glycemic outcomes in the majority of women. Key risk factors included higher body mass index, previous pregnancies, and a history of fetal loss. The WDF-GDM model underscores the effectiveness of mass media–driven screening and integrated care strategies, offering a scalable framework for improving maternal health outcomes in similar low-resource settings globally.

Prof. Dr. Shabeen Naz Masood is a Fellow and Doctorate in Obstetrics and Gynecology, serving as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Consultant in Medical Education at Sindh Medical & Dental College, Sohail University Trust. She is a member of the International Diabetes Federation consensus on Early Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). Currently, she serves as Vice President of the Diabetic Association of Pakistan, a WHO Collaborating Centre. She is also Secretary General–Elect of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Pakistan (SOGP). Prof. Masood chairs the guideline committee on “Hyperglycemia in Pregnancy” for SOGP and the IDF-MENA region and previously served as Chairperson of the Insulin Centenary Working Group (IDF-MENA). She is an author and editor of the book “Diabetes in Pregnancy: Past, Present and Future of Care.” With over 60 publications in national and international journals, she brings more than 35 years of experience in clinical practice, academia, research, and teaching. She is an examiner for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Pakistan and a member of the Governing Body of the Health Research Advisory Board of Pakistan.