Gestational Diabetes Sugar Levels

Gestational Diabetes And Sugar Levels.

One common complication of pregnancy is gestational diabetes. Although this used to be quite a serious condition, today if gestational diabetes is diagnosed and treated properly, both mother and baby can come out of the pregnancy just fine.Like regular diabetes, gestational diabetes is caused by the body's inability to process glucose. A woman is typically checked for gestational diabetes sugar levels between weeks 24 and 28 of the pregnancy. The test for gestational diabetes sugar levels is very simple. The mother must quickly drink a specially designed sugary beverage which will raise her blood sugar levels. One hour later, her blood will be drawn to check her sugar levels.

If the mother's body does not properly process the sugar from the drink, she may have gestational diabetes sugar levels will need to be further checked.Typically, a woman is said to have failed the one hour gestational diabetes sugar levels test if her blood drawn one hour after consuming the drink shows a sugar level of about 140 mg/dL. If this test comes back with an elevated blood sugar level, the woman must undergo a three hour gestational diabetes sugar levels test. This test is also known as a glucose tolerance test.For the three hour gestational diabetes and sugar levels test, the woman must eat a special diet. Normally, this just means she must eat extra carbohydrates for the three days prior to the test.

She must also not eat, drink, or smoke for eight hours before the test, which is commonly done first thing in the morning because of these restrictions. The beverage she must drink for the three hour gestational diabetes sugar levels test is much sweeter, and her blood will be drawn four times in all-once before she drinks the beverage, and then again at one, two, and three hours after she drinks the beverage. If glucose levels are high on two or more of the blood draws performed during the gestational diabetes sugar levels test, the woman will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.Like regular diabetes, gestational diabetes can be controlled with diet or daily injections of insulin. If a woman fails both the one hour and three hour gestational diabetes sugar levels tests, her doctor will work with her to ensure her high glucose level does not present a danger to herself or her child. With careful monitoring, gestational diabetes is one pregnancy complication that can be easily handled.