A pregnancy glucose test is currently prescribed for many women. It is done on a period of 24-28 weeks. This study is especially necessary for pregnant women with risk factors. Detecting diabetes during gestation is very important, as this disease can affect the health and development of the unborn child.
When is the analysis done?
At the first stage, all patients are prescribed a routine clinical blood test for glucose during pregnancy up to 24 weeks. This study is carried out without load, blood is usually taken from the capillary vessels of the finger. Analysis is given in the morning. It is carried out on an empty stomach, the last time you can eat 8 hours before the diagnosis. Most often, this study is prescribed by the obstetrician-gynecologist as soon as pregnancy is determined. Further testing for carbohydrate metabolism will depend on the results:
- If the blood glucose test during pregnancy is normal (3.3-5.5 mmol / L), then usually no other tests are prescribed. The study is carried out again in the second trimester.
- If glucose is slightly increased (5.5-7 mmol / L), then the doctor suggests that the patient has gestational diabetes. This is a form of the disease that occurs only in pregnant women. To clarify the diagnosis, a glucose tolerance test (with a load) is prescribed.
- If the results of the analysis exceed 7 mmol / l, then this is highly likely to mean that the woman is suffering from diabetes. However, an accurate diagnosis requires a comprehensive examination.
In some cases, a glucose test with a load during pregnancy is prescribed. Such a study is conducted for women at risk, which include the following categories of patients:
- overweight;
- with multiple pregnancy;
- women whose relatives have diabetes;
- patients with arterial hypertension;
- an abnormality in the history of glucose analysis;
- the birth of children with a large weight or developmental abnormalities in the past;
- women with high blood cholesterol;
- patients whose urine sugar is determined.
Currently, such a test is prescribed even to healthy women at the 28th week of gestation in order to prevent the disease. Analysis of glucose during pregnancy does not allow to accurately determine the presence of diabetes. This method of laboratory diagnosis only indicates a violation of carbohydrate metabolism. To identify the disease, a comprehensive examination of the patient will be required.
Contraindications to the appointment of the survey
Not all women can be tested for glucose during pregnancy. There are the following contraindications for such a diagnosis:
- blood sugar level above 7 mmol / l;
- infectious and acute inflammatory diseases, pathologies of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract;
- girl's age up to 14 years;
- the period of gestation from 28 weeks;
- therapy with drugs that increase glucose levels;
- severe pregnancy toxicosis.
How to prepare for the study?
Before you take a glucose test during pregnancy, you need to prepare for the study. This will help to get reliable results.
You do not need to change your usual diet and limit yourself in food. On the contrary, food should be sufficiently high-calorie. 8-10 hours before the test, you need to stop eating, before analysis, you can only drink clean water. The last meal should be rich in carbohydrates.
15 hours before the analysis, alcohol and smoking are excluded. You should not change your usual mode of physical activity. This does not mean that you need to specifically engage in gymnastic exercises, but it is also impossible to lie on the couch before the examination. It is necessary to lead a normal natural lifestyle with the usual physical activity.
How is the analysis delivered?
How to take a glucose test during pregnancy? It is necessary to come to the laboratory on an empty stomach, having with you a referral from a doctor and the results of a sugar test. Sometimes, a blood test from a finger for sugar is repeated before a glucose tolerance test, and with results above 7.1 mmol / l, they are no longer examined. However, this is not required.
The blood glucose test during pregnancy is as follows:
- First, blood is taken from a vein and glucose is measured.
- Then the patient is given a drink of a monosaccharide solution (this is called a load).
- Repeated blood sampling from a vein is carried out after 1 hour, and then another 2 hours after the load with measurement of the results.
How to dilute glucose for analysis during pregnancy? Sometimes the doctor offers the patient to prepare the solution on their own, in some cases the sweet syrup is made by the laboratory assistant. You can make a drink for the load during analysis as follows:
- Prepare clean still water in advance.
- Dip 75 g of dry glucose in 300 ml of water and wait until complete dissolution.
- Drink the drink you need in 5 minutes.
- The drink is very sweet, in pregnant women with toxicosis such a sugary taste can cause nausea. Therefore, while drinking it is allowed to lick a slice of lemon, or add a little acidic lemon juice to the solution.
Deciphering the results
The following indicators are normal for glucose analysis during pregnancy (when taking 75 g of monosaccharide):
- 1st measurement (before load) - up to 5.1 mmol / l;
- 2nd measurement (1 hour after loading) - up to 10 mmol / l;
- 3rd measurement (after 2 hours) - up to 8.5 mmol / l.
If these values are exceeded, it can be assumed that the pregnant woman has gestational diabetes. The patient requires consultation with an endocrinologist and a nutritionist.
What to do in case of deviation from the norm in the analysis?
The results of the analysis must be shown to the obstetrician-gynecologist who has a woman. Additional examinations may be required, for example, a blood test for glycated hemoglobin. To clarify the results, the doctor can also prescribe a urine test for sugar or a three-hour blood test for glucose with a load.
Gestational diabetes is not a dangerous diagnosis. Glucose levels usually decrease 8 weeks after birth. However, this condition cannot be considered the norm; an increase in glucose levels can adversely affect the development of the fetus. Therefore, such a woman needs to adhere to a diet, eat as little sweet food as possible.
Low glucose can also negatively affect an unborn baby. Carbohydrates are necessary for the proper formation of the brain of the newborn.
Why are there false results?
Sometimes a blood test for glucose tolerance can give false results. This can happen if the pregnant woman experienced stress on the eve of the diagnosis. Therefore, before the study, it is important to remain calm and avoid mental stress.
Lack of potassium and magnesium in the body, as well as hormonal disorders, can distort the results of the analysis. The test gives the wrong result if the woman was subjected to physical activity or took food during the test. Before analysis, it is undesirable to take medication. If it is impossible to interrupt the intake of drugs, then it is necessary to warn the obstetrician-gynecologist about this.
It is important to carefully follow all the recommendations of the doctor during the study. Distorted results can lead to the appointment of unnecessary treatment, which will adversely affect the development of the fetus.
Analysis Reviews
Reviews of a glucose test during pregnancy indicate that most women understand the importance of this test. This examination helped many patients to be completely convinced of their health. Other women, thanks to the analysis, were able to detect gestational diabetes in time and adjust their diet.
However, many patients are afraid to take this test. The doctor must explain to the pregnant woman that the glucose tolerance test is absolutely harmless to the unborn child. A single dose of a monosaccharide solution does not affect the development of the fetus. The only drawback of the test is the sugary-sweet taste of the drink, which many pregnant women find unpleasant. In reviews of the analysis, some women write about nausea that occurred when an empty stomach monosaccharide solution was used. However, this sensation quickly passed. In addition, you can use a slice of lemon, which will significantly reduce nausea and vomiting.