What To Eat Before 1 Hour Glucose Test Pregnancy
What you eat before a glucose test can affect your results. For a one-hour glucose test, you will likely be asked to fast for eight hours before the test. This means no food or drink, with the exception of water. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. You can drink black coffee, tea, or water. You can also eat foods that are low in sugar and carbohydrates.
Some good options for breakfast before a glucose test include eggs, bacon, toast, oatmeal, or a protein shake. If you are looking for a snack, try a piece of fruit, nuts, or cheese. It is important to avoid high-sugar foods like candy, cake, or ice cream. These foods will spike your blood sugar and could give you inaccurate results.
If you have any questions about what to eat before a glucose test, speak with your doctor.
What Can I Expect From The Three Hour Test
When you arrive, you will have your blood taken to get your base/fasting level.
Right after this, you will be instructed to drink 100 grams of the glucose drink within five minutes. Depending on where you are getting it done, you may be given the drink before or after you arrive it tastes best when chilled.
As soon as you are done drinking, the clock starts, and you will have your blood drawn every hour for the next three hours. You will not be allowed to leave, and you are generally not allowed to walk around.
After your test is over, you will be allowed to eat and drink normally make sure you bring some kind of snack. I would recommend something high in protein and low in sugar/carbs, since the drink contained a lot of that.
Its pretty common to feel unwell or nauseated from the test. If you think you are going to throw up, make sure you tell someone in the office. If you do throw up, you will be asked to leave and come back another time.
The results can be processed pretty quickly. I had mine done at LabCorp, and they were sent to my doctor by the next morning. They werent posted on the LabCorp website for several days.
Here are the reference values for the three-hour test. In general, you have to fail at least two values to be diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes, but this may vary on how much you failed by and your doctors office protocol.
Fasting under 95 mg/dL
What Is The Glucose Challenge Screening Test
No preparation is required prior to the test. During the test, the mother is asked to drink a sweet liquid and then will have blood drawn one hour from having the drink, as blood glucose levels normally peak within one hour. No fasting is required prior to this test.
The test evaluates how your body processes sugar. A high level in your blood may indicate your body is not processing sugar effectively . If the results of this screen are positive, the woman may have the Glucose Tolerance Test performed. It is important to note that not all women who test positive for the Glucose Challenge Screening test are found to have diabetes upon further diagnosis.
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How The Test Is Performed
TWO-STEP TESTING
During the first step, you will have a glucose screening test:
- You do not need to prepare or change your diet in any way.
- You will be asked to drink a liquid that contains glucose.
- Your blood will be drawn 1 hour after you drink the glucose solution to check your blood glucose level.
If your blood glucose from the first step is too high, you will need to come back for a 3-hour glucose tolerance test. For this test:
- DO NOT eat or drink anything for 8 to 14 hours before your test.
- You will be asked to drink a liquid that contains glucose, 100 grams .
- You will have blood drawn before you drink the liquid, and again 3 more times every 60 minutes after you drink it. Each time, your blood glucose level will be checked.
- Allow at least 3 hours for this test.
ONE-STEP TESTING
You need to go to the lab one time for a 2-hour glucose tolerance test. For this test:
- DO NOT eat or drink anything for 8 to 14 hours before your test.
- You will be asked to drink a liquid that contains glucose .
- You will have blood drawn before you drink the liquid, and again 2 more times every 60 minutes after you drink it. Each time, your blood glucose level will be checked.
- Allow at least 2 hours for this test.
How To Prepare 1 Hour Test
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Why Did I Fail
There are many reasons why a mom-to-be has failed the first glucose test.
The first one being that you do actually have Gestational Diabetes.
The second being that the levels for failing are actually pretty low depending on your office, to fail, you have to have a level above 130 or 140.
When you take the three hour test , the level to fail the one hour is 180.
The point of the screening is to catch a wide net to make sure they dont miss anyone who *might* have Gestational Diabetes.
Because if theres any chance you do have it it needs to be caught and treated. Unmanaged Gestational Diabetes typically has the worst outcomes.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Tests
The purpose of the oral glucose tolerance test is to measure the bodys ability to use a type of sugar, called glucose. Glucose is the bodys main source of energy. An OGTT can be used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. An OGTT is most commonly done to check for diabetes that occurs with pregnancy, called gestational diabetes.
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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.
Who Is At Risk
Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:
- having had gestational diabetes in an earlier pregnancy
- a family history of diabetes
- having obesity or other diabetes-related conditions
- being physically inactive
If a person gains more weight than is usual during pregnancy, this may be a sign of gestational diabetes, according to the
- attending more frequent screening and seeking medical help if glucose levels go up
- insulin use, in some cases
The healthcare provider will advise on each persons needs and treatment plan, as diabetes affects everyone differently.
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About Diabetes In Pregnancy
Whenever we eat, a hormone called insulin helps move the sugar from our food through our blood and into our muscles, where it is turned into energy to help us move.
When you are pregnant, your body produces lots of other hormones to help your baby grow. Some of these hormones can stop insulin working well. This causes sugar to build up in your blood because it cant get to your muscles. You have diabetes when you have too much sugar in your blood.
Pregnancy diabetes generally goes away after your baby is born, though it leaves you with more chance of developing diabetes again later in life.
Oral Glucose Challenge Test
If you are not at high risk of diabetes in pregnancy, your midwife will offer you an oral glucose challenge test when you are between 24 and 28 weeks pregnant. This test measures how well your body can process sugar. You can have this test at any time of the day.
For this test, youll drink a sugary drink and then wait 1 hour before giving a blood sample. You will not need to do anything special before or after the test. Most people do not have side effects from the oral glucose challenge test.
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Screening For Gestational Diabetes
During your first antenatal appointment at around week 8 to 12 of your pregnancy, your midwife or doctor will ask you some questions to determine whether you’re at an increased risk of gestational diabetes.
If you have 1 or more risk factors for gestational diabetes you should be offered a screening test.
The screening test is called an oral glucose tolerance test , which takes about 2 hours.
It involves having a blood test in the morning, when you have not had any food or drink for 8 to 10 hours . You’re then given a glucose drink.
After resting for 2 hours, another blood sample is taken to see how your body is dealing with the glucose.
The OGTT is done when you’re between 24 and 28 weeks pregnant. If you’ve had gestational diabetes before, you’ll be offered an OGTT earlier in your pregnancy, soon after your booking appointment, then another OGTT at 24 to 28 weeks if the first test is normal.
Find out more about an OGTT.
What Can You Do If Youre At Risk For Gestational Diabetes
If youre at risk for gestational diabetes, there are a few things you can do to help lower your chances of developing the condition:
-Get regular exercise. Exercise can help your body use insulin more effectively.
-Eat a healthy diet. Eating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help your body control blood sugar levels.
-Maintain a healthy weight. If youre overweight, losing just 5 to 10% of your body weight can help lower your risk of gestational diabetes.
It is important to consider these things even before pregnancy, so Im glad youre thinking about it.
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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.
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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What Happens If You Fail The 3 Hour Glucose Test
Then you now have yourself a diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes.
If you are like me, you might feel pretty devastated and depressed at first. I felt like I had totally failed my child and my body.
I do my best to exercise regularly and be healthy though Id be lying if I said I didnt enjoy a Lindor Lindt truffle from time to time.
A month before I got pregnant, my A1C was 4.7%, which is actually just above being too low. My fasting blood sugar was excellent.
However, the first thing my dietician said to me was, I want you to know that this is NOT your fault. While there are risk factors, you really dont fit into those categories, so Im confident that this is purely a placenta issue.
The Mayo Clinic says:
During pregnancy, the placenta, which connects your baby to your blood supply, produces high levels of various other hormones. Almost all of them impair the action of insulin in your cells, raising your blood sugar. Modest elevation of blood sugar after meals is normal during pregnancy.
As your baby grows, the placenta produces more and more insulin-counteracting hormones. In gestational diabetes, the placental hormones provoke a rise in blood sugar to a level that can affect the growth and welfare of your baby. Gestational diabetes usually develops during the last half of pregnancy sometimes as early as the 20th week, but generally not until later.
Risks If You Have Diabetes In Pregnancy
If you have diabetes when you are pregnant and dont get treatment:
- your baby can grow too big, and this can cause problems for you and your baby during the birth
- you can develop high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia
- your baby may have problems with their own blood sugar when they are born, and they will have more risk of getting diabetes later in life.
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What Is Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. It happens when your body is not able to produce enough insulin to keep the amount of glucose in your blood at proper levels. Untreated GD increases the likelihood of having a large baby, and is associated with birth complications as well as health risks for the newborn . Untreated GD also increases the risk of stillbirth late in pregnancy . Women who develop GD are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. However, there is excellent treatment for GD, and most women diagnosed with GD have normal deliveries and healthy babies.
Why Do I Need A Glucose Screening Test During Pregnancy
Most healthcare providers routinely recommend a glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes.
Gestational diabetes is a high blood sugar condition that some women get during pregnancy. Between 2 and 10 percent of expectant mothers develop this condition, making it one of the most common health problems during pregnancy. And because the condition rarely causes any symptoms, testing is the only way to find out whether you have it.
The GCT is a screening test, which means it won’t give you a diagnosis. Instead, it’s designed to identify as many women as possible who might have gestational diabetes but need more testing to find out. So a positive result doesn’t mean that you have gestational diabetes.
In fact, only about a third of women who test positive on the glucose screening test actually have the condition. If you test positive, you’ll need to take the glucose tolerance test a longer, more definitive test that tells you for sure whether you have gestational diabetes.
Some providers skip the glucose screening test altogether and instead order a shortened version of the glucose tolerance test, which is also called a one-step test .
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Glucose Tolerance Testing Diet
You will eat three meals per day and have a bedtime snack, and your meals should consist of at least 50% carbohydrates. 10 servings of carbohydrates equal approximately 150 grams of carbohydrates. You may check the package nutrition labels on most foods, as most labels will indicate the number of grams of carbohydrates the food contains. You must have at least 150 grams of carbohydrates each day for three days prior to your test.
The following are examples of one serving of carbohydrates :
- 1 slice of bread
- 1/2 cup of starchy vegetables
How Is Gestational Diabetes Diagnosed
A routine test can help to find out whether a woman has developed diabetes in pregnancy. This kind of diabetes, known as gestational diabetes, can then be treated early enough. But the test can also cause women to worry for no reason.
Women who have gestational diabetes temporarily have high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. This is usually not a problem and nothing to worry about. But in some women it will lead to an increased risk of particular complications during pregnancy and birth. High blood sugar levels can usually be lowered enough by changing your diet and doing more exercise. If necessary, women can also inject insulin during pregnancy.
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