It seems as though every pregnant woman experiences nervousness prior to going through the dreaded glucose tolerance test between 24-28 weeks. It’s got a bad reputation among the mother community and now I completely understand why.
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was terribly scared, but passed the 1 hour test with flying colors. Easy peasy. Fast forward to this pregnancy and it all changed. I failed the 1 hour.
So, how does the 1 hour glucose tolerance test work, you ask?
- You fast from midnight the night before the test. Some practices will allow you to drink water during this fasting period, others won’t.
- Go to the doctor/hospital and drink a non-carbonated, artificially flavored/dyed beverage that contains 50 grams of glucose within 5 minutes.
- Then, you wait for 1 hour at the doctor’s office (bring a book!).
- They then draw your blood to test the blood sugar level.
- You usually get your results in the next 1-3 days.
Results and what they mean: If you get higher than a 135 mg/dL then you have to come back another day and take the 3 hour glucose test.
During this pregnancy with baby #2, I got a 151 mg/dL after the 1 hour glucose test. Three days later, I’m in for the 3 hour glucose test.
How does the 3 hour glucose tolerance test work?
- You fast from midnight the night before the test. Some practices will allow you to drink water during this fasting period, others won’t. I opted to not drink any water, for minimal affect on my test.
- Go to the doctor/hospital and have your finger pricked to insure your fasting blood sugar level is between 70-105 mg/dL. (Mine was 77 mg/dL, enabling me to proceed with the test.) If so, they draw your blood for initial fasting levels.
- Then you drink a non-carbonated, artificially flavored/dyed beverage that contains 100 grams of glucose within 5 minutes.
- You wait 1 hour and have your blood drawn again.
- You wait for a second hour and have your blood drawn again.
- You wait for a third hour and have your blood drawn a last time.
- Then, you receive your results within 1-3 days.
Results of the 3 hour glucose tolerance test and what they mean:
- Initial fasting blood drawing should be between 70-105 mg/dL.
