Medical Guides

This primary glucose test will not provide you with a diagnosis, it is simply a tool to determine if you may have a problem and should then go on to the next series of tests. The first test however, is simple. You arrive at the lab or doctors office and are handed a fizzy drink that contains between 50 and 100 grams of glucose. It is syrupy and sweet and you must drink it within 10 minutes. After 10 minutes the clock starts. One hour after consuming this drink your blood is drawn and sent off to the lab.

If this primary reading comes back registering high, which it does up to 25% of the time, then your health care provider will suggest you take the 3 hour glucose tolerance test which will give a much more accurate picture of how your body handles sugar. Only about 30% of the women who test positive for this primary test actually are diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

The 3 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test
The second test is much more involved and you absolutely need to have been fasting prior to arriving at the lab. Consult your doctor about the exact specifics of fasting for some say that not even a drop of water after midnight is acceptable.

Arrive fasting at the lab and inform them you’re there for a 3 hour blood glucose screening test. They will immediately draw your blood to get your fasting sugar level. Then you will be asked to drink another glucose drink within 10 minutes. They will begin timing you from this point, and will draw your blood each hour for the next 3 hours. You will have 4 blood draws in total.

Results
EndocrineWeb states that any two draws with results higher than the following would result in a diagnosis of gestational diabetes: fasting glucose level higher than 105 mg/dl, the one hour draw greater than 190 mg/dl, the 2 hour draw greater than 165 mg/dl or the 3 hour draw greater than 145 mg/dl. These levels are not set in stone; your individual doctor may use benchmarks that are either slightly higher or lower. Always consult your care giver for the final results.

Diagnosis: Gestational Diabetes
Your doctor has confirmed that you’ve failed at least 2 of the blood glucose tests done during your 3 hour screening test, and that you do indeed have gestational diabetes. The next step is that they will likely send you to either an endocrinologist or perinatologist and to a nutritionist.