Random Blood Sugar Test
This measures your blood sugar at the time youre tested. You can take this test at any time and dont need to fast first. A blood sugar level of 200 mg/dL or higher indicates you have diabetes.
| 140 mg/dL or below | N/A |
*Results for gestational diabetes can differ. Ask your health care provider what your results mean if youre being tested for gestational diabetes.Source: American Diabetes Association
If your doctor thinks you have type 1 diabetes, your blood may also tested for autoantibodies that are often present in type 1 diabetes but not in type 2 diabetes. You may have your urine tested for ketones , which also indicate type 1 diabetes instead of type 2 diabetes.
Glucose Tolerance Testing In Preventative Medicine
A glucose tolerance test can be used to identify patients at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes based on clinical risk factors, with a view to beginning preventive therapy. Approximately 25% of patients with either impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose will develop type 2 diabetes over the following 3-5 years. However, the results of a glucose tolerance test cannot distinguish between type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cannot be used to predict response to therapy, or likelihood of future complications. Although glucose tolerance testing is more specific than other options, fasting blood glucose and haemoglobin A1c testing are usually more convenient and thus are used more frequently for screening.
Higher plasma glucose levels are linked to increased cardiovascular risk, with this risk increase extending into the non-diabetic range. Impaired glucose tolerance has also been demonstrated to be a better predictor of increased cardiovascular risk and mortality than fasting glucose.
Specifics for collection and panels are as follows:
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Specimen type: Blood serum or plasma
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Container: Vacutainer, red top gray top
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Collection method: Venipuncture
Related tests include serum or plasma glucose, hemoglobin A1c, urinalysis, C-peptide, and insulin.
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normal glucose test results chart quote. Proinsulin is the precursor molecule for insulin and is found in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of the beta cells in the pancreatic islets. As shown in Figure 79-2, the proteolytic conversion of proinsulin results in the formation of equimo-lar amounts of insulin and its connecting peptide, C peptide.
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How To Pass The 3 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test
Just like the 1 hour glucose test, there isnt any special way to ensure that you pass the 3 hour oral glucose tolerance test aka the ogtt.
Your best bet is to eat a well-balanced diet leading up to the test and minimize the consumption of simple carbs like cereal, white flour, juice, and soda.
Making these changes the night before or the week before is unlikely to make a big difference. You should make these changes months in advance.
Its also a good idea to try and maintain these habits postpartum as well. Unfortunately, 60% of women with gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes later in life.
How Is The Glucose Screening Test Done Do I Have To Fast
No, you don’t have to fast for the screening test. You can eat and drink that day as you normally would.
Here’s what to expect during and after the test:
- A sweet drink: When you arrive for the test, you’ll drink a sugar solution that contains 50 grams of glucose. The stuff tastes like a very sweet soda pop , and you have to get all of it down in five minutes. Some providers keep it chilled or let you pour it over ice and drink it cold.
- A blood draw: An hour later, a blood sample is taken to check your blood sugar level. The result indicates how efficiently your body processes sugar.
- Results: These should be available in a few days. If the reading is too high, which happens an estimated 15 to 23 percent of the time, you’ll be asked to return for a three-hour glucose tolerance test to see whether you have gestational diabetes. The good news is that most women whose screening test shows elevated blood sugar don’t turn out to have gestational diabetes.
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What Is The Normal Range For A Three
For a three-hour glucose tolerance test:
- Fasting blood sugar levels should be lower than 95 mg/dL.
- After one hour, blood sugar levels should be lower than 180 mg/dL.
- After two hours, blood sugar levels should be lower than 155 mg/dL.
- After three hours, blood sugar levels should be lower than 140 mg/dL.
Keep in mind, your provider may have a slightly different normal range. Generally speaking, if your blood sugar is elevated in at least two of your results, your provider will diagnose you with gestational diabetes. If you have one elevated result, your provider may ask to test you again in a few weeks.
Make sure you understand the results of your glucose test and discuss any concerns you have with your provider.
What Do Abnormal Glucose Test Results Mean
The results of your glucose test show how well your body breaks down sugar. If your glucose test results are higher than the standard limit, your body is not processing sugar properly, a sign of gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes usually occurs due to pregnancy-related hormonal changes. Its important that patients not blame themselves or feel guilty for results of the hormonal changes of pregnancy, this is precisely why we screen all patients for gestational diabetes, shares Dr. Juusela.
The good news is that for the most part, gestational diabetes can be successfully managed through diet, exercise and careful monitoring, Dr. Wool says. In cases where that is not enough, medications, such as insulin or metformin, can be used to help control blood sugar levels. In other words, you can have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby with this condition.
If you do need medication, SingleCare can help you save on your prescriptions. The free search tool allows patients to compare prices at pharmacies nearby to be sure youre getting the best deal. Simply enter your medication and location to get started today.
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Antenatal And Postnatal Care
NICE recommends that GPs, midwives and other primary care professionals should advise pregnant women with any form of diabetes to maintain their capillary plasma glucose below certain target levels, if these are achievable without causing problematic hypoglycaemia.
Recommended target levels are 5.3 mmol/litre for fasting, and 7.8 mmol/litre 1 hour after meals, or 6.4 mmol/litre for 2 hours after meals.
Further updated recommendations cover women with gestational diabetes whose blood glucose levels have returned to normal after birth.
NICE says these women should be offered lifestyle advice that includes weight control, diet and exercise, and a fasting plasma glucose test 613 weeks after the birth to exclude diabetes.
NICE recommends that a 75 g 2-hour oral glucose tolerance tests should not be routinely offered for women who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes and whose blood glucose levels returned to normal after birth.
In addition, women were diagnosed with gestational diabetes who have a negative postnatal test for diabetes should be offered an annual HbA1c test.
Elsewhere NICE recommends that women with type 1 diabetes who are planning to become pregnant should be offered blood ketone testing strips and a meter. Women should be advised to test for ketonaemia if they become hyperglycaemic or unwell.
I Have The Results Of My Glucose Screening Test Whats The Normal Range For Blood Sugar
Different providers use different standards for determining whether your level is too high. Some will say that if your one-hour blood sugar level is 140 milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood plasma or more, you need to have the glucose tolerance test. Others put the cutoff at 130 mg/dL to catch more women who may have gestational diabetes, even though there are likely to be more false positives this way.
If your blood glucose level for this screening is higher than 200 mg/dL, most providers will consider you diabetic and you wont be required to take the glucose tolerance test.
But any score between 140 and 200 means that youll have to take the three-hour glucose tolerance test for a definite diagnosis.
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Glucose Tolerance Test Procedure
The GTT procedure is as follows
- At first a zero -time or baseline blood sample is drawn.
- Then the patient is given a specific dose of glucose solution to drink
- After that the blood samples are drawn at regular intervals to measure the blood sugar levels and also insulin levels in certain cases. The blood sampling can be done as requested by the doctor and could involve up to 6 hours of testing.
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What Is The Treatment For Gestational Diabetes
If you fail the glucose tolerance test and are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, you’ll work with your provider or a diabetes specialist, and possibly a nutritionist. Together you’ll come up with a treatment plan, which will cover:
BabyCenter’s editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you’re seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.
CDC. 2019. Gestational diabetes.
ACOG. 2017. Practice bulletin no. 180. Gestational diabetes mellitus. Obstetrics & Gynecology
MedlinePlus. 2020. Glucose screening tests during pregnancy.
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What Is A Glucose Test During Pregnancy
Glucose tests are used to screen for and diagnose gestational diabetes. They measure how efficiently your body processes sugar, which is key, since pregnancy hormones can affect this natural regulation process. Gestational diabetes is one of the most common pregnancy conditions up to 10 percent of pregnant women in the US develop it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Left untreated, gestational diabetes has some potentially dangerous consequences. An increased chance of preeclampsia, preterm labor and c-section are among the risks Mom may face. Whats more, baby may be born at a higher birth weight or with complications, such as respiratory distress or low blood sugar. Fortunately, proactive monitoring and treatment can help ensure you and baby stay healthy and safe. Suffice to say, the glucose test is a small price to pay.
So exactly what is a glucose testand what does it entail? First, its important to clarify that there are actually two different glucose tests during pregnancy: The first is a screening that identifies if youre at an elevated risk for gestational diabetes. If the initial glucose blood test shows that youre not processing sugar quickly, youll move on to the second, more involved glucose tolerance test. The latter is diagnostic, meaning youll have a definite answer.
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What Is The Normal Range For A One
Blood sugar values lower than 140 milligrams per deciliter are normal. You dont need additional testing for gestational diabetes.
If your blood sugar value is 140 mg/dL or higher, your provider will recommend the three-hour glucose tolerance test.
Please note that all providers are different and normal ranges may vary. For example, some providers consider anything higher than 135 mg/dL to be abnormal.
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How To Prepare 3 Hour Test
If your doctor would like to see additional testing, based on your results from the 1 hour test, you may be asked to have a 3 hour OGTT. It is important to follow all of the instructions very carefully, as it will affect the results of the test.
When you arrive at the office a sample or baseline glucose test will be run and used for comparing other glucose values. You will be asked to drink a sweet liquid containing a measured amount of glucose, it is best to drink it quickly. Then blood samples will be collected at timed intervals of 1,2, and 3 hours after you drink the glucose.
Here is the best method of preparation:
How Gestational Diabetes Can Affect Your Pregnancy
Most women with gestational diabetes have otherwise normal pregnancies with healthy babies.
However, gestational diabetes can cause problems such as:
- your baby growing larger than usual this may lead to difficulties during the delivery and increases the likelihood of needing induced labour or a caesarean section
- polyhydramnios too much amniotic fluid in the womb, which can cause premature labour or problems at delivery
- premature birth giving birth before the 37th week of pregnancy
- pre-eclampsia a condition that causes high blood pressure during pregnancy and can lead to pregnancy complications if not treated
- your baby developing low blood sugar or yellowing of the skin and eyes after he or she is born, which may require treatment in hospital
- the loss of your baby though this is rare
Having gestational diabetes also means you’re at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future.
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How Effective Are Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests
An OGTT can be used to effectively diagnose various types of diabetes, including prediabetes.
Its useful for confirming a diagnosis after an abnormal HbA1c test result. An A1C test is often part of routine blood tests, but its less sensitive than an OGTT. Because of this, an OGTT can help with making an official diagnosis.
This can alter the results, potentially leading to a misdiagnosis.
An OGTT is also time consuming. You may need to take off from work or school. Theres currently no alternative for the test, according to 2018 research.
An OGTT is considered to be a safe test.
Be sure to eat a meal the night before. This may help reduce discomfort caused by fasting.
For some people, drinking the concentrated glucose solution causes side effects such as:
Additional side effects, such as diarrhea and heart palpitations, are more likely to affect people whove had bariatric surgery.
Other OGTT risks are the same as getting your blood drawn for any reason:
- skin irritation from adhesive on a bandage
If you have any concerns, talk with a doctor before taking the test.
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How To Reduce Blood Sugar Levels During Pregnancy
If you neglect your body and make it a haven for unwanted glucose in it then for sure youre inviting risks both to you and your baby. Anything more and anything less than the needed sugar levels in the body during pregnancy invites unwanted complications warns the doctors. To reduce blood sugar levels knowing risk factors is important and the risk factors include
- Overweight which means having a body mass index above 30.
- Aged 25 or above.
- Delivered a baby weighed above 9 pounds.
- Having a high glucose level in blood and urine.
- The family has type 2 diabetes history.
- You previously had gestational diabetes.
Check for these risk factors and if needed consult your family doctor and take necessary screening tests. Based on his/her advice follow the stipulated advice in addition to knowing what to eat and not to eat. Have a proper diet plan in addition to being physically active. This way you can reduce additional sugar levels.
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Is There Anything I Can Do To Help Me Pass The Glucose Tests
No. If you have gestational diabetes, the glucose tolerance test will detect it. However, there are steps you can take to reduce your chances of developing gestational diabetes, as well as to keep your blood glucose levels stable even if you do have the condition. These are:
- Healthy eating: Opt for whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which are high in fiber, and cut back on foods and drinks that are high in added sugars.
- Exercise:Moderate exercise, such as walking briskly and swimming, can help keep your blood sugar under control.
- Maintaining a healthy weight: Use our pregnancy healthy weight gain calculator to estimate how much you can expect to gain and whether you are on target.
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How Can We Help
The GTT and OGTT are a long procedure and can take up to 6 hours of testing and could be really tiring. So, to counter that we offer GT Test at home so you can relax within the comfort of your home. Our certified healthcare professional would oversee the test at regular intervals as part of the protocol and follow standard procedure.
So if you need GTT or OGTT dont stress yourself out at dull clinics and hospitals rather take the test at the comfort of your home with our highly trusted at home healthcare services.
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