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What is gestational diabetes?
At week 28, my blood glucose level was higher than the normal expected, and my doctor put me on a 2,000-calorie diet just to be safe. Do I have gestational diabetes or not? I have lost weight because of the diet and don't feel that I am getting enough to eat.
I'm not sure if you also had a glucose tolerance test, but the following represents an accepted set of guidelines:
All pregnant women are screened in some way for gestational diabetes (GDM) between 24 and 28 weeks.
- Values of a Random Blood Sugar > 6 mmol/l or > 8 mmol/l 1 hour after 75g glucose orally necessitate a full glucose tolerance test (GTT).
- Fasting Blood Glucose levels > 5.2 or > 9.0 mmol/l 2 hours after a full GTT indicate GDM.
- I would add that a screening threshold shown is not sufficient to detect all women with GDM. Some are gestational diabetics in a lower range.
Some authors also believe that the range should be raised. It is a starting point, and we will miss some and misdiagnose others, I am sure.
Perhaps a repeat test would be in order, especially in view of the fact that you are losing weight on the 2,000 calorie diet. Your GP or midwife will probably arrange this when they review you at a follow up clinic. They will make sure you are not excreting ketones in your urine; these are by-products of fat metabolism and may be harmful to the baby. They do this on testing a sample of your urine.
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