Do I have Gestation Diabetes | blood sugar testing, glucose, pregnancy

A simple blood-sugar
test can tell.For most women, gestational diabetes goes away once their baby is born. However, more than half of the women who have gestational diabetes will get it again with future pregnancies and may get type 2 diabetes later in life.

Many doctors give pregnant women a blood test at about 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy to test for gestational diabetes. Women who have a high risk of getting gestational diabetes (those who had gestational diabetes with an earlier pregnancy) may be tested before the 24th week. The blood-sugar test is simple: You are asked to drink “sugar water” and an hour later a sample of your blood is drawn and your glucose level is measured. If the glucose level in your blood is within the normal range (120 mg/dl –– milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood ), no other tests are needed. However, if your blood glucose level is within the normal range, but you are at high risk for gestational diabetes, you may be tested again later in your pregnancy. If your blood-glucose level is above the normal range, you will be asked to take a second test called a glucose tolerance test to be certain whether or not you have gestational diabetes.

More about Gestational Diabetes

• What is Gestational Diabetes?
• How Do I Know If I Have Gestational Diabetes?
• Will My Baby Be Alright?
• Will I Be Alright?
• Managing Your Diabetes
• Tests To Check Your Baby’s Health
• Labor and Delivery
• Can I Get Diabetes Again?

Fetus in amniotic sac
Normal range for blood glucose levels: 120 mg/dl (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood)

Pregnancy and Childbirth

What it is and how to manage it—for your health and your baby’s healthGestation is another word for pregnancy; so, gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that happens only during pregnancy. It is not the same as other forms of diabetes.

If you have gestational diabetes, you probably have many questions about it, such as:

• What is gestational diabetes?
• How do I take care of myself now that I have it?
• How will it affect my baby’s health?
• Will I still have diabetes after my baby is born?

This article can answer those questions and also explain how to manage this type of diabetes. Managing diabetes means keeping your blood-glucose (blood-sugar) levels within a normal range. This is the same as the blood-glucose levels of a pregnant woman who doesn’t have diabetes.

Managing your diabetes won’t be easy. It will take commitment from you and help from your partner. Uou will need also guidance from your doctor and other diabetes specialists. These may include a diabetes doctor, an obstetrician who has treated pregnant women with diabetes, a pediatrician who has treated infants of mothers with diabetes, a registered dietitian, and a diabetes educator.

This article will give you general guidelines on gestational diabetes and how to deal with it. Keep in mind, each woman’s health situation and needs will be a little different. Also, remember that you aren’t sick—you just need special care and help during this time to stay healthy and to protect your unborn baby.

Pregnant woman holding tummy
Read all you can about pregnancy. The more you know, the more amazing the experience.