What Are The Risks Of A Glucose Tolerance Test
I hear that there are no risks associated with a glucose tolerance test.
However, I have personally be affected by a VERY low blood sugar following the 3-hour test. Honestly, so low that I probably should have been in a coma.
SO, I always recommend that on both the 1-hour and the 3-hour test that you bring something that has a nice balance of carbs and protein to eat right after the test is over. I usually take a peanut butter and honey sandwich since its easy to keep in my bag or my car. And can easily be eaten quickly.
NOTE: This snack is for AFTER the test is over. Make sure you follow the instructions for the test during the procedure. It is really important.
If you have any questions or concerns about the test, talk to your doctor or midwife. Theyll be happy to answer any questions you have.
Why Is The Glucose Tolerance Test Important For Pregnant Women
Gestational diabetes can cause complications for both mom and baby. However, it can be successfully managed when it is identified early.
Its important to make sure the results of your 3 hour glucose tolerance test are accurate in order to correctly diagnose gestational diabetes so it can be treated. This will help prevent any complications for you and your baby.
Some of the complications seen with gestational diabetes are listed below.
Alternatives To Three Hour Glucose Test
To be honest, I have issues with the drink they make everyone drink.
For the one hour test, its essentially 50 grams of sugar and for the three hour test, its 100 grams of sugar.
The suggested sugar intake per day for an adult woman is 25 grams of sugar, so you are being asked to chug 2-4 days worth of sugar in five days for a test.
Seems a bit odd to me and I could see why people who dont normally eat that much sugar may have trouble!
You are also not supposed to exercise or really even move during the test after you drink the solution, so you are basically just sitting there, letting the drink sit.
However, it is the standard that has been accepted by most professionals, so what do I know
With that said, there are alternatives to taking the three hour test. If you really had a hard time with the one hour test, you could definitely look into these.
It seems that the standard alternative is to test your blood sugars eating your regular diet for 1-2 weeks to see if there is any elevation.
Im sure this has its limitations , but it can give you a good idea of how your levels react.
Other alternatives include the jelly bean test this is typically more often done for the hour test, but I believe you can do it for the three hour as well. You basically eat a bunch of jelly beans that add up to the amount of sugar in the drink and do the test as follows.
Ive also heard of people being approve to drink Coke or a pure fruit juice with similar sugar amounts.
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When Is The Glucose Screening Test Taken During Pregnancy
You typically get a glucose screening test between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. However, your provider may want you to be screened earlier than 24 weeks if a routine urine test shows a high level of sugar in your urine or if you’re considered high risk. If the results are normal, you’ll be screened again at 24 to 28 weeks.
Of course, if you were diagnosed with diabetes before pregnancy, you won’t need to be screened. Instead, you’ll continue to work with your provider to manage your condition during pregnancy.
Can You Decline The Glucose Test In Pregnancy
If you decline the glucose test, then we will need to check your blood sugar levels 4 times per day for at least 1 week.
This will require you to prick your finger when you wake up every morning and one hour after breakfast, lunch, & dinner.
This is an alternative way to screen for gestational diabetes.
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What Is A Glucose Test In Pregnancy
There are two glucose tests that are typically offered during pregnancy as part of your prenatal care. Both the glucose challenge test and the glucose tolerance test measure how your body responds to glucose and help determine if you have gestational diabetes, which may develop during your pregnancy.These glucose tests are routinely done during pregnancy and are recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for all pregnant women.
What Are The Gestational Diabetes Risk Factors
The glucose test in pregnancy is a screening test for gestational diabetes, with women who are at an average risk being screened during the second trimester, that is between 24 weeks and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Women who are at a higher risk will be screened in the first trimester, with the help and guidance of your healthcare provider. The test may be done as early as the first prenatal visit. Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:
- Obesity when you were overweight before getting pregnant
- Lack of physical exercise
The good news is that gestational diabetes can be managed with healthy diet and lifestyle changes.
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Eat A Balanced Healthy Diet
You dont want restrictive dieting when youre pregnant but you do want to eat a lot of nutritious foods with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
An easy place to start is by following the Plate Method. For any given meal, fill half your plate with vegetables. Then, use ¼ of the plate for your protein and the last quarter for your starch or grains. I find this to be an easy way to plan meals if you get annoyed by measuring out portions or calorie counting.
A study of pregnant women in Spain, found a Mediterranean diet associated with decreased rates of gestational diabetes.
Researchers instructed the women in the intervention group to follow a Mediterranean diet with at least 40 mL of extra virgin olive oil and a handful of pistachios each day.
The diet involved eating:
- 2-3 servings of legumes per week
- moderate to high amounts of fish
The women also limited red and processed meat and avoided refined grains, processed baked goods, soda, juice, and fast food.
The Mediterranean diet has been shown to prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease. So, it makes sense that limiting processed foods and added sugar and focusing on getting enough lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats are ways to help decrease your risk of GDM.
What Abnormal Results Mean
Abnormal blood values for a 3-hour 100-gram oral glucose tolerance test are:
- Fasting: greater than 95 mg/dL
- 1 hour: greater than 180 mg/dL
- 2 hour: greater than 155 mg/dL
- 3 hour: greater than 140 mg/dL
ONE-STEP TESTING
Abnormal blood values for a 2-hour 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test are:
- Fasting: greater than 92 mg/dL
- 1 hour: greater than 180 mg/dL
- 2 hour: greater than 153 mg/dL
If only one of your blood glucose results in the oral glucose tolerance test is higher than normal, your provider may simply suggest you change some of the foods you eat. Then, your provider may test you again after you have changed your diet.
If more than one of your blood glucose results is higher than normal, you have gestational diabetes.
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What Not To Eat The Night Before A Glucose Test
Here is a list of foods not to eat before your glucose test.
If your glucose challenge test is tomorrow, it is a good idea to avoid high glycemic foods for at least 8 hours before the glucose test.
These foods include
- Breakfast cereal
All of these will spike your glucose levels high.
Instead, go for whole grains that contain complex carbohydrates, such as steel-cut oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and leafy green vegetables.
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Who Needs To Have Glucose Tolerance Testing In Pregnancy
All pregnant people are advised to be screened for their risk of GDM. Anyone is at risk of developing GDM but youre at increased risk if:
- Your BMI is obese
- You have a family history of diabetes
- There is a high HbA1C test result in your early antenatal blood work
- You are aged over 35, and particularly if you are over 40
- You had GDM in a previous pregnancy
- You are having a multiple pregnancy with twins or triplets
- You have polycystic ovarian syndrome
- Are of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Melanesian, Polynesian, Indian subcontinent, Middle Eastern or Asian background.
If youre high risk you can skip the glucose challenge test and go straight to diagnostic glucose tolerance testing.
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What Is The Glucose Tolerance Test Like Do I Have To Fast
Fast overnight: Typically you’re instructed to eat a late meal the night before the test and then to eat or drink nothing after that, except for sips of water. The fasting period is usually 8 to 14 hours before the test, so you’ll want to schedule the test for first thing in the morning.
Here’s what to expect at the lab:
- First blood draw: When you arrive for the test, a blood sample is taken to measure your fasting blood glucose level.
- An even sweeter drink: Next, you’ll drink either a more concentrated dose or a larger volume of glucose solution.
- Three more blood draws: Brace yourself for three more arm pricks, as your blood is tested every hour for the next three hours. The lab tech should alternate arms each time your blood is drawn.
Some tips to make your test more comfortable:
- Have someone drive you to and from the test in case you feel lightheaded or are low on energy due to fasting.
- Bring something to distract you, because you have to stay nearby when your blood is not being drawn.
- Bring something to eat right after the final blood sample is taken, because you’ll probably be starving.
Results: After the test, if one of the readings is abnormal, you may have to take another test later in your pregnancy. Or your provider may ask you to make some changes in your diet and exercise routine. See “What is the treatment for gestational diabetes?” below.
How Common Is It To Fail The 1 Hour Glucose Challenge Test
In general, anywhere from 15-25% of women will fail the glucose challenge test. But keep in mind that failing the 1-hour test does not give you the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
According to the CDC, the prevalence of gestational diabetes is about 2-10%.
But failing the test should raise some red flags that you need to pay attention to your diet.
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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.
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What Happens During The 3
Before taking the three-hour glucose tolerance test, you will need to fast overnight.
You should have nothing to eat or drink for at least eight hours .
Water is definitely okay to drink, however!
When you arrive at the lab or testing site, youll have blood drawn first to get a fasting glucose level. Then, you will consume a 100-gram oral glucose drink.
Your blood will be drawn one hour after you finish the drink, two hours later, and three hours later. .
The most commonly used criteria for determining if you pass the three-hour glucose test is listed below. Typically, you will fail if two or more of these values are elevated. However, some doctors may diagnose you with GDM even if you just have just one elevated number.
- Fasting: less than 95 mg/dL
- 1 hour after: less than 180 mg/dL
- 2 hours after: less than 155 mg/dL
- 3 hours after: less than 140 mg/dL
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Best Tips To Pass Glucose Test In Pregnancy
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Are you wondering how to pass glucose tolerance test during pregnancy? Many pregnant Moms dread this routine prenatal test because of the taste of the glucose drink, but also because a positive result could mean you are at high risk for gestational diabetes and lead to the necessity for more medical interventions. So its important to know what you can do to pass the glucose test and maintain a healthy pregnancy.
Research indicates that every year, about 2% to 10% of pregnant women are receive a gestational diabetes diagnosis, with women who suffer from this type of diabetes being at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in their lives.
Gestational diabetes occurs when a pregnant womans blood sugar is abnormally high, posing a risk to both the mother and her unborn child. Even pregnant women who did not have diabetes before pregnancy can develop Gestational diabetes. A glucose screening test is the best way to ascertain if you are low risk.
Here are some tips on what to eat before glucose test pregnancy, tips on how to pass the glucose test, andwhat the gestational diabetesrisk factorsare.
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test
The oral glucose tolerance test, also called the glucose challenge test, is the first glucose screening test carried out during pregnancy.
When the test is carriedout:During weeks 24 to 28 of pregnancy, however, it may be done earlier if you are considered high risk.
How it’s carried out:This test does not require you to fast. You’ll be asked to drink a very sweet beverage that contains 50 grams of glucose within five minutes. After one hour, a blood sample is taken to measure the amount of glucose in your blood.
What the test results mean:If blood sugar levels are above 140 milligrams per deciliter , gestational diabetes is suspected, and you may have to return for a three-hour glucose tolerance test. If your blood sugar is over 200 milligrams per deciliter , you may have type 2 diabetes.
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How To Prepare For The Glucose Challenge Screening Test
The good news is that you dont really need to do much of anything to get yourself ready for this glucose screening test. We want to see how your body responds naturally to glucose, so just eat what you would regularly eat or drink, advises Greves.
Pope echoes this recommendation, but stresses that having long-term healthy lifestyle habits can ultimately improve your chances of passing: There really is no preparation besides trying your best to always eat as healthy as you can, and exercise routinely. This helps with glucose metabolism.
Still, if youve been doing your own internet sleuthing to figure out what to eat before your glucose testor in the hopes of sourcing hacks to help you pass the testknow that any touted tips are unproven and ill-advised. Patients always try and trick the system to try and pass the test. Theres no secret to this, says Pope. Whats more, you shouldnt want to cheat if youre at risk for gestational diabetes, you need to know so you can take the necessary next steps.
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 The Optimal Method Of Diagnosis
Since there is no clear glucose threshold above which pregnancy outcomes responsive to glycemic management occur , controversy persists as to the best diagnostic thresholds to define GDM. The International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups Consensus Panel decided to create new diagnostic thresholds for GDM based on data from the Hyperglycemia and Adverse pregnancy Outcome study. IADPSG thresholds are the maternal glucose values from HAPO associated with a 1.75-fold increase of LGA, elevated C-peptide, high neonatal body fat or a combination of these factors, compared with the mean maternal BG values of women studied in HAPO. These arbitrary thresholds, when applied to the HAPO cohort, led to a GDM incidence of 17.8%. The National Institute of Health 2013 Consensus Conference summary statement stated that at present, the panel believes that there is not sufficient evidence to adopt a 1-step approach, such as that proposed by the IADPSG . However, since this publication, national organizations have published guidelines that are divergent in their approach to screening and diagnosis of GDM , thus perpetuating the international lack of consensus on the criteria for diagnosis of GDM.
Figure 1Preferred approach for the screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
Figure 2Alternative approach for the screening and diagnosis of gestational diabetes.