Gestational Diabetes Testing

Gestational diabetes testing is routinely done during prenatal doctor visits. While women at high risk may be candidates for gestational diabetes testing at their first prenatal visit, women at average or low risk may be tested later in the pregnancy. Gestational diabetes testing involves fasting blood glucose tests, random blood glucose tests, screening glucose challenge tests, and oral glucose tolerance tests.

 

Gestational Diabetes Testing: An Overview

Gestational diabetes testing is routinely done during prenatal doctor visits. Your doctor will decide when you need to be checked for gestational diabetes, depending on your risk factors.
 
If you are at high risk for gestational diabetes, your blood glucose level may be checked at your first prenatal visit. If your gestational diabetes testing results are normal, you will be checked again some time between weeks 24 and 28 of your pregnancy.
 
If you have an average risk for gestational diabetes, you will be tested sometime between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy.
 
If you are at low risk for gestational diabetes, your doctor may decide that you do not need gestational diabetes testing at all.
 
If gestational diabetes testing is recommended, your healthcare team will check your blood glucose level. Depending on your risk and your test results, you may have one or more of the following tests:
 
  • Fasting blood glucose or random blood glucose test
  • Screening glucose challenge test
  • Oral glucose tolerance test.
     

Gestational Diabetes Testing: Fasting Blood Glucose or Random Blood Glucose Test

Your doctor may check your blood glucose level using a fasting blood glucose test.
 Before this test, your doctor will ask you to fast, which means having nothing to eat or drink except water for at least 8 hours. Or your doctor may check your blood glucose at any time during the day. This is called a random blood glucose test.
 
This gestational diabetes testing method can detect gestational diabetes in some women, but other tests are needed to be sure diabetes is not missed.
 
(Gestational Diabetes Testing Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD