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Diagnosis of Gestational Diabetes



The diagnosis of gestational diabetes is important for all pregnant women especially if they show one or more risk factors. Depending on the risk factors, doctors usually decide when a pregnant woman should be tested for gestational diabetes. If a pregnant woman has a higher risk, the doctor may screen her for gestational diabetes in the first prenatal appointment itself. If the results are normal, she may be checked again between weeks 24-28 of the pregnancy. Doctors also recommend specific tests for the diagnosis of gestational diabetes. Some of the main tests for gestational diabetes include:

  • Random or Fasting Blood Glucose Test: If the random blood glucose is greater than 200 mg/dl or the fasting blood glucose is greater than 125 mg/dl, it indicates that the pregnant woman is more prone to developing gestation diabetes. In such cases, doctors may recommend further testing for a proper diagnosis.
  • Screening Glucose Challenge Test: This test is usually performed between the 26th and 28th week of pregnancy. This test helps in diagnosing the existence of diabetes in the body. Doctors consider the screening glucose challenge test as a routine test to be carried out in the second trimester of pregnancy.
  • OGTT (Oral Glucose Tolerance Test): Women who are more at risk to developing gestational diabetes are generally asked to get this test done. In this test, the patient drinks 1.75 oz of a glucose drink. After an hour, the doctor takes a blood sample to measure the blood glucose level of the patient. Women with gestational diabetes usually have blood sugar levels higher than 140 mg/dl. Doctors advise a follow up test called 3-hour oral glucose tolerance for such women.

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References
  1. Nian Wang, DeLing Zhang, XianQing Mao, Feng Zou, Huan Jin, JingPing Ouyang, Astragalus polysaccharides decreased the expression of PTP1B through relieving ER stress induced activation of ATF6 in a rat model of type 2 diabetes, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, Volume 307, Issues 1–2, 13 August 2009, Pages 89-98, ISSN 0303-7207, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mce.2009.03.001.
  2. Ajaya K. Shetty, Paramahans V. Salimath, Reno-protective effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum greacum) during experimental diabetes, e-SPEN, the European e-Journal of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Volume 4, Issue 3, June 2009, Pages e137-e142, ISSN 1751-4991, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eclnm.2009.02.002.