Prevalence of congenital anomalies in pregnancies complicated by type 2 diabetes: Systematic review and meta‐analysis

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of congenital anomalies in pregnancies affected by type 2 diabetes remains uncertain. This study systematically reviews the literature and assesses the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with congenital anomalies in this population. METHOD: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, LILACS, and Web of Science for studies published between January 1990 and May 2025 reporting on congenital anomalies in pregnancies complicated by pregestational type 2 or overt diabetes (diabetes first diagnosed at any time during pregnancy). The search included terms such as "congenital anomaly," "birth defect," "pregnancy outcome," "type 2 diabetes," and "non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus." We included studies with at least 40 pregnancy outcomes, in any language (if minimally translatable), excluding case reports, congress abstracts, and studies focused on chromosomal or genetic syndromes. Search strategies were developed and executed by two librarians. Titles and abstracts were screened, and data were extracted from full-text articles by at least two authors. Analyses were conducted using SPSS v25 and PERSyst-MA (R package meta, v7.0-0). Reporting followed the MOOSE and PRISMA statements. Cardiac anomalies were most common (21.6%). Subgroup analyses did not yield significant findings; however, meta-regression revealed an inverse association between maternal age and the prevalence of congenital anomalies and a direct association with HbA1c levels. CONCLUSION: Type 2 diabetes in pregnancy was associated with a relevant prevalence of congenital anomalies. Lower maternal age and, as expected, higher HbA1c levels increased the risk of congenital anomalies. Regarding the inverse association between congenital anomalies and maternal age, further confirmatory studies are necessary.