Check for GD at home?

[tiffanymm]

I have access to a blood glucose meter and I want to check my blood sugar before my HCP sends me in a couple of weeks. I know that I have to eat then test it after 1 hour, but what should I eat and what should the number be?


Thanks for your help,
Tiffany

[Milkymommi]

Normal blood sugar levels are between 60 and 130 for a pregnant woman...

as far as what you should eat? If you're trying to simulate the actual glucose test you'll be given it's a pretty hefty dose of sugar at once. It depends on which hcp you talk to, some have no problem with having a pregnant mama ingest that amount of sugar and others say no way. It is a highly controversial test considering the amount of sugar verses the amount of time one is given to metabolize it- doing nothing but sitting down. You can google and find lots of info on the web about that in general but I digress.

To test at home I would say eat like you normally would. That will tell you the truth about how you're handling sugar imho

[zofranland]

i checked my blood sugars for one week then took them in. i did fastings (empty stomach) in the morning then checked a 2 hour blood sugar after eating.

[~pi]

Targets vary slightly from one provider to the next, but in general, they are usually around:

Fasting a.m. <95 mg/dL (sometimes they'll say <90 or <100)
1 hour postprandial <140
2 hour postprandial <120

Note that blood sugar meters can vary in their accuracy. Even with a well-calibrated meter, your reading can vary by as much as 40 points from lab value. And if you are borrowing an old meter from a friend/relative, or if you have one from a previous pregnancy, check the battery/strip code/control solution before you assume that your sugars are out of whack.

Eat what you would normally eat.

[Reha]

I think it is important to point out that all of the blood sugar ranges for diagnosing GD in pregnancy are based on NONPREGNANT people. We really have no solid information on what is "normal" for blood glucose levels during pregnancy (if the woman isn't a true diabetic, type 1 or 2).

[Milkymommi]

Very true... don't ya just love that stuff. Any numbers I posted are just common knowledge numbers that anyone would get from a provider if they asked or searched it out. I think the whole GD thing can be so sketchy.