How To Prepare For Gestational Diabetes Test

Glucose Tolerance Test Results And Interpretation

The results of glucose tolerance test are read in Millimoles per Liter or Milligrams per Deciliter . The normal and abnormal ranges vary for pre-diabetes, Diabetes, and Gestational Diabetes.

The glucose tolerance test normal range starts at 92 mg/dL for gestational diabetes. If after taking some glucose and staying for one hour you have a reading of more than 180 mg/dL, then you have gestational diabetes. After 2 hours, the benchmark value goes down to 153 mg/dL. In the third hour, your blood sugar level should go below 140 mg/dL

While testing for diabetes, your glucose tolerance test normal range is 126 mg/dL while fasting. Two hours after taking a glucose solution in the glucose tolerance test procedure, your blood sugar level should be lower than 140 mg/dL.

• If you have a blood glucose level of more than 140 but not exceeding 199mg/dL, you have pre-diabetes.
• Any value of more than 200mg/dL in your glucose tolerance test results and interpretation indicates diabetes.
• Pre-diabetes is also diagnosed if you have a fasting blood sugar level of between 100 and 125 mg/dL.

Gestational Diabetes Diet And Meal Plan

Have you been diagnosed with gestational diabetes? At first, it might feel stressful to have to closely watch what you eat and know that if you dont, you and baby can be at risk for problems.

But it can also be empowering to know that eating right can help keep you and baby healthy. So go forth and eat like a smart, savvy mom-to-be anddare we say it?maybe even enjoy it a little. Heres how.

What Does The Blood Glucose Test Involve

All pregnant women are offered this screening test between 24-28 weeks gestation. When other risk factors are present, such as obesity, the test may be offered earlier and then repeated if initially normal. The screening test for GD is called a glucose challenge, which aims to see how your body is handling sugars. The measurement is taken 1 hour after you consume a glucose drink. This test can be conducted at any time of day as it is not a fasting test. If your blood sugar is normal after the challenge, you will not require any more testing. If it is high, you will have a second test. This test is done in the morning while you are fasting and will require you not to eat prior to the test. You will have your glucose tested before consuming a glucose drink and then tested again 1 and 2 hours later. If your glucose is higher than specific cut-off values, it means you have GD. See the table for more specific information.

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Can Gestational Diabetes Be Prevented Or Treated

There are some practical steps you can take to prevent gestational diabetes. Adopting healthy habits before becoming pregnant may help reduce the risk, but there are no guarantees. If you can, eat healthily, exercise regularly, and lose any excess weight well before you conceive.

If you have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, hereâs what you can do to control blood sugar levels and reduce the chance of complications:

• Follow a healthy diet. Although itâs not recommended that pregnant women lose weight, eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains may help control gestational diabetes. Eat regular meals throughout the day, but keep an eye on portion sizes. Your healthcare provider may recommend a diet designed to help control gestational diabetes and can give you information on the healthy amount of weight to gain throughout your pregnancy.

• Exercise. Exercise helps lower blood sugar levels and is also good for your general health. Speak to your doctor about what type of exercise is OK for you during pregnancy. Walking or prenatal yoga may be good options. If your healthcare provider gives you the OK, aim for about 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, five days a week.

• Take medication. About 10 to 20 percent of women with gestational diabetes need insulin to help control their blood sugar levels. Your doctor will prescribe insulin if this is needed.

Your provider will also closely monitor your babyâs health to make sure everythingâs progressing well.

What Happens If I Fail My Glucose Test During Pregnancy

Around 24-28 weeks gestation, most practitioners will order a blood glucose test to see if the pregnant patient has gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a high blood sugar condition that 2-5 percent of pregnant women develop during pregnancy. Because this condition rarely causes any visible symptoms, performing a glucose test is the only way to find out if a patient has it. If a patient tests positive for this screening, a glucose tolerance test is needed. A GTT is a longer more definitive test that will tell a patient definitively whether or not she has gestational diabetes.

What Happens Once Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes?;

There are many different plans that a practitioner could set a patient on depending how high the glucose levels were on the glucose tolerance test. Most patients are referred to a high-risk OB-GYN as additional screenings are needed to ensure the fetus is not in any distress and monitor the fetus growth, as a result of this condition.

Patients who are unable to control their glucose levels could need to try medication to aide throughout the rest of their pregnancy. It is important for a patient to discuss her feelings and any side effects of gestational diabetes medication with a doctor while on them.

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Preparing For Your Test

Treatments For Gestational Diabetes

If you have gestational diabetes, the chances of having problems with your pregnancy can be reduced by controlling your blood sugar levels.

You’ll be given a blood sugar testing kit so you can monitor the effects of treatment.

Blood sugar levels may be reduced by changing your diet and exercise routine.;However, if these changes don’t lower your blood sugar levels enough, you will need to take medicine as well. This may be tablets or insulin injections.

You’ll also be more closely monitored during your pregnancy and birth to check for any potential problems.

If you have gestational diabetes, it’s best to give birth before 41 weeks. Induction of labour or a caesarean section may be recommended if labour does not start naturally by this time.

Earlier delivery may be recommended if there are concerns about your or your baby’s health or if your blood sugar levels have not been well controlled.

Find out more about;how gestational diabetes is treated.

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I Failed My Prenatal Glucose Screening Test Here’s What I Did Next

You failed, shared the nurse to me on the phone after my prenatal glucose screening test.

I was crushed. Disappointed. Frustrated. And fearful of what might be at risk for me – and more importantly, for my baby.

I had just completed the 1-hour glucose screening test for gestational diabetes, which involved drinking 50 grams of glucose within 5 minutes, waiting patiently for an hour, and receiving a one-time blood draw to test how much sugar was still circulating in my blood instead of being transported into my cells, as it should. Its a test that is routinely recommended to pregnant women sometime between their 24th and 28th week of pregnancy.

Ideally, shared the nurse, my blood glucose number should be in the 130s. Mine was 190. I realized then that not only did I fail, I failed by what I considered to be a large margin. I was shocked.

But when I heard the news that I failed my screening test, I thought that I had done something wrong. I just didn’t know what. I felt embarrassed – naively thinking, I am a dietitian after all, how could this happen to me?! – and confused.

Youll have to go into the hospital for a 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test with 100-grams of glucose to see if you have gestational diabetes and we encourage you to do it within the next 5 days, the nurse instructed.

Heres what I found out:

Foods To Avoid With Gestational Diabetes

Contrary to popular belief, you dont have to completely cut out a whole bunch of foods because you have gestational diabetes. Its all about balance and not going too crazy with the carbs, especially sugar.

But, in general, if you have gestational diabetes, try to avoid:

• Sugary drinks: Skip the soda and fruit juice. Even all natural, organic, no-sugar-added juice contains carbs and will raise your blood sugar. Try water with lemon or water flavoring packets like True Lemon, Tracy suggests. Sparkling water like LaCroix can also be refreshing and satisfying.
• Sweets: Got a sweet craving? Candy, cakes and a lot of fruit are no-gos when you have gestational diabetes because of their sugar and carbohydrates. But, says Auguste, you can have a little full-fat ice cream every now and then.
• Super-starchy foods: Were not saying pregnant women with gestational diabetes should skip carbs like potatoes, pasta, white rice and white bread completely, but you should definitely limit them, pair them with carbs and fats, and try to choose whole grain and/or fiber-rich versions instead.
• No-carb dieting: Do not try to cut carbs completely because you have gestational diabetes. Your body needs them, and youll feel too deprived without them.

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Pregnant People Undergo This Type Of Glucose Screening To Test For Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes is a condition that develops during pregnancy when too much glucose stays in your blood instead of being used for energy, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says.

If you have gestational diabetes, your body passes more sugar to your baby that it needs, ACOG explains. That can cause your baby to gain a lot of weight and cause complications for you, including labor difficulties, the need for a C-section, heavy bleeding after delivery, and severe tears in your vagina. It also raises your risk for high blood pressure during pregnancy, which can place extra stress on your heart and kidneys.

The glucose screening usually happens near the end of the second trimester, between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. It may be done in one or two steps: The standard two-step version of the test starts with a one-hour test thats recommended for all pregnant people. Then, if your results on the one-hour test show that you have too much glucose in your blood, you may then be required to complete a three-hour test, MedlinePlus explains. In the single-step version of the test, the whole thing is done in two hours.

The test you get depends on your doctor and their preference. No matter which test youâre given, though, they all look for the same thing: to see how your body and blood sugar responds to receiving a load of glucose, Christine Greves, M.D., a board-certified ob/gyn at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, tells SELF.

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How Long Does A Glucose Tolerance Test Take

Your whole glucose tolerance levels test including the test procedure takes a very short while. The results of a glucose tolerance test are out within minutes. The 1 hour test only requires you to give a blood sample and then you can leave soon after. With the 3 hour glucose tolerance test, you can spend up to 5 hours in the medical care facility. This is because a sample must be taken from you with each passing hour.

There are very few risks involved in a glucose tolerance test. You may get some bleeding or be bruising as the sample is being drawn. Due to not eating for some time, you may feel a little lightheaded or dizzy. The bruising, bleeding, lightheadedness and dizziness all clear after some time. Once the glucose tolerance test procedure is over, you are allowed to eat.

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Importance Of Glucose Tolerance Test

Undergoing a glucose tolerance test is important for your health and wellbeing. Early diagnosis of diabetes using this test is a lifesaving move. Once you know that you have diabetes, you will be able to avoid life threatening situations such as too high or low blood sugar levels. Type 1 Diabetes that involves high levels of sugar in your blood is quickly diagnosed. On the other hand, type 2 Diabetes develops over a long time and is often seen in adulthood. Type 2 diabetes is the common type of diabetes.

What Should I Eat Before The Glucose Screening Test

You should eat your normal typical breakfast. This is so that we can get a very accurate representation of how your body handles sugar at this point in your pregnancy, even after your normal breakfast.

With that said, its probably a good idea to not consume high glycemic foods right before, especially sugary drinks like juices, smoothies, and sodas.

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Get 7 To 9 Hours Of Sleep Each Night

We all know sleep is good for us, but can the right amount of sleep help prevent gestational diabetes?;

A few studies have found a correlation between poor quality sleep and gestational diabetes. Surprisingly, this study also found that women with poor sleep and longer duration of sleep had the highest risk of GDM .;

Another study associated poor sleep quality AND getting less than six hours of sleep per night with an increased risk of GDM.

Getting too little sleep and getting too much sleep both possibly lead to an increased risk of gestational diabetes so aiming for about 7 to 9 hours each night might help prevent GDM.;

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If Youve Had Gestational Diabetes Before

You will be offered a choice of the following 2 tests to see if you have it again:

• a kit you can use to check your own blood glucose levels from early pregnancy
• an oral glucose tolerance test , which you will have as soon as possible after your booking appointment, and again at 24-28 weeks if the first test is normal.

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How Do I Prepare For The Glucose Tolerance Test

Please read the information leaflet. Share the information it contains with your partner and family so that they can be of help and support. There may be information they need to know, especially if they are taking care of you following this examination.

Leading up to the test, please continue to eat your normal diet until the night before your test. Please do not restrict your sugar intake.

Is There Anyway To Cheat A Fasting Blood Sugar Test

There is no way to cheat the test. You wont be able to manipulate the way your body processes sugar unless you have access to specific medications.

I wont go into any more details because YOU SHOULD NOT try to cheat the glucose pregnancy test.

This test is really important if you care about the health of your pregnancy and baby.

We need to be able to see how youre body processes sugar.

If you have gestational diabetes and try to falsify your results, you will increase

• the risk of your baby having birth defects

So get tested and do it right!

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Gestational Diabetes: 8 Facts You Need To Know

If you are trying to get pregnant or are currently in the early stages of pregnancy, you probably have concerns about certain pregnancy-related health issues and risks. One condition that many mothers have heard of and are concerned about is gestational diabetes.

According to the CDC, gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes seen in a pregnant woman who did not have diabetes prior to pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin to process sugar and convert it into energy. This leads to high glucose levels in the blood .;

If you have concerns about gestational diabetes, it is best to consult your doctor. But there are some important things you should know about it in the meantime.;

Gestational Diabetes Testing: Which Method Is Best

The glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes is something of a second trimester rite of passage.

If your pregnancy has proceeded uneventfully so far, nearly all the standard tests are behind you. Only one standard test left. And for this final one , you get to choke down a disgustingly sweet drink* and have your blood drawn repeatedly. Sounds fun, right?

Two major methods of screening women for gestational diabetes exist: The two step method and the one step method. Interestingly, these are not equivalent. Which test you receives can have a big impact on whether or not you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Most providers in the U.S. use the two-step method. This results in 7-9% of pregnant women in the U.S. being diagnosed with gestational diabetes each year.

If all these providers were to switch to the one-step method, the percentage of women diagnosed would double to 18% of all pregnant women according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Does this represent a potential overdiagnosis or current underdiagnosis?

Before we dig into this question, lets back up for a minute to define the tests.

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