According to the BabyCenter Most women have a glucose screening test (also called a glucose challenge test or GCT) between 24 and 28 weeks. Thats right where I am, technically a day into my 25th week. This test checks for gestational diabetes, a pregnancy-related high-blood-sugar condition. Untreated diabetes causes the baby to grow too large (especially in the upper body), increasing the risk of having a difficult delivery and/or needing a cesarean section. It also raises the baby's odds for other complications like low blood sugar right after birth.
How is the screening test done?
The pregnant lady (thats me) has to ingest a sugar solution that contains 50 grams of glucose in 3-5 minutes. One hour after drinking the solution, blood is drawn. Some centers make you drink the solution there - then wait an hour and draw blood. My doctor let me bring the solution home on my last visit, so I drank it at home and arrived at the dr in time for the blood draw.
The solution is really sweet ... and the flavor is not that good. Many people report getting sick and/or not being able to hold the stuff down ... including a friend or two of mine. Maybe I am lucky I regularly consume so much sugar. Although I would love to have been drinking something else, it didnt make me sick.
The goal of the test is to see how efficiently your body processes sugar. Results should be available in a few days, my doctor told me they would call me in a week. If the reading is abnormal (too high), which happens 15 to 23 percent of the time, then the real fun begins. I would need to go back for a three-hour glucose tolerance test to see if you I really do have gestational diabetes. Most women whose screening test shows elevated blood sugar don't end out to have gestational diabetes ... so they get to participate in the three-hour test just for fun :) This is the one one where most women really seem to get sick and would be nice if I am one of the 77-85% that don't have to go in for additional testing. Keep your fingers crossed!
