Everyone in their second trimester of pregnancy has heard or will soon hear about the Glucose Tolerance Test. And around weeks 24-28 you'll head to the lab, chug down a sugary beverage in record time, then sit in a waiting room for an hour, to be called back to get your blood glucose levels drawn and tested. So what's the deal with the glucose test? Read on to find out more.
According to the American Diabetes Association
"sometimes the hormones made by your placenta can block your body from making or using insulin correctly. When this happens your body goes into insulin resistance. Without enough insulin, glucose can't leave your blood and be converted to energy." This is also know as Diabetes, or in the case of pregnant women, Gestational Diabetes, which can cause numerous negative outcomes for both you and your baby. With proper care and monitoring though these negative outcomes can often be avoided, so between weeks 24-28 of pregnancy women take part in the Glucose Tolerance Test at their local blood lab to screen for Gestational Diabetes.
Why is this Test Sometimes Dreaded?
Well, for me specifically it wasn't at first. I didn't know much at all about diabetes, had never had much connection with it, and definitely did not think I was someone who could have it. I've always been pretty fit and healthy. Why would I think more about it? So it being the holiday season and my office coworkers spreading holiday cheer by filling the place with holiday sweets, I took part in my normal snacking throughout the day then left work and headed to the blood lab. The test itself wasn't bad either, although many of my friends who have previously completed it groaned when I mentioned where I was headed after work, but I didn't think much of it. I walked right in, was greeted by a lovely worker, sat down and answered the generic questions, such as my name and date of birth, then was asked what flavor beverage I would like to drink. I choose orange and was handed a small soda bottle sized container of orange liquid. This must be gross I though, hence the groans of my friends, but when I took my first sip it tasted like sugary, flat orange soda. Not too bad! So I easily drank it in the allotted 5 minute window, then was sent to hang out in the waiting room for an hour till my time was up. A small sample of my blood was drawn an hour later and I was headed home. Peace Of Cake! Until I logged into the portal for my results the next morning and had a message from my doctor asking me to go for more testing... I had FAILED! By TWO POINTS!
Now I understood why all the groans had come, and I wasn't having such positive or easy going thoughts about the test anymore. So with my pregnancy hormones in full swing I burst into tears and yes freaked out! Could I really have gestational diabetes? What other testing would I need? Was something wrong with me? Was my baby ok? My mind was going wild and with that my rapid typing and Google searching took over.
What Did I Find?
Well first I learned what exactly gestational diabetes was, hence my lovely explanation above. I also learned that if not taken care of it can lead to fetal malformation, preterm delivery, miscarriage, over or underweight babies, and all kinds of side effects for babies later in life... just to name a few. I next learned that it requires a VERY strict diet, exercise, constant sugar monitoring, and sometimes even insulin shots. And lastly I learned that the next step to finding out if I did in fact have gestational diabetes was to head back to the lab for a three hour long glucose test which involved me chugging more sugary liquid but this time getting my blood drawn 4 separate times. At this point I did what any rational pregnant women would do... YEP I diagnosed myself with Gestational Diabetes and decided my life was over!
If You're Like Me RELAX!
Two weeks later, and despite my initial panic, I have come a long way and learned a lot more than just the scary statistics. As I sit here typing, brain full of new research and a much more positive mindset, I have come to terms with the fact that I can do this!
I still don't know if my self diagnosis was correct, after just completing my 3 hour Glucose Test this morning and now a little impatiently awaiting the results, however I do believe everything happens for a reason. I have so much more to share on this subject to help those who are in fact diagnosed or to help those of you who just want to learn more or lead a healthier lifestyle for yourself and your family.
But for now my results and findings will have to wait till a later post!
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