Normal Blood Sugar For Pregnancy

What Are Possible Complications Of Diabetes During Pregnancy

Most complications happen in women who already have diabetes before they get pregnant. Possible complications include:

• Need for insulin injections more often

• Very low blood glucose levels, which can be life-threatening if untreated

• Ketoacidosis from high levels of blood glucose, which may also be life-threatening if untreated

Women with gestational diabetes are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes in later life. They are also more likely to have gestational diabetes with another pregnancy. If you have gestational diabetes you should get tested a few months after your baby is born and every 3 years after that.

Possible complications for the baby include:

What Do The Results Of The Glucose Tests Mean

As the normal range for blood sugar levels detected in the glucose challenge test and the glucose tolerance test may vary depending on the lab or clinic, your provider will be your best resource for information and advice on your specific results and recommended next steps in your pregnancy. However, these general guidelines may apply:

Language Matters In Diabetes

Words make a difference when youre talking about diabetes. Thats especially true in the context of blood sugar levels and how someone manages their health.

Here are some suggestions on language choices when talking with someone about their blood sugars and glucose levels.

• Try to avoid using terms like good or bad for higher or lower blood sugars.
• Instead, try to not tie value judgments to these numbers. Think about them as just numbers, in range or not, and pieces of data to help make a decision in diabetes care. Sometimes glucose numbers are too low or too high, and its helpful for the person with diabetes to understand why those glucose fluctuations are happening.

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What Is The Normal Blood Sugar Level For Adults

As we age, our bodies become less able to regulate blood sugar levels as well as they used to. That’s why the ADA recommends that older adults aim for a fasting blood sugar level of less than 100 mg/dL. After eating, it’s ideal that your blood sugar level is below 180 mg/dL.

The ADA recommends that most adults with diabetes aim for the following blood sugar goals:

• Fasting: Less than 100 mg/dL
• Preprandial : 70-130 mg/dL
• Postprandial : Less than 180 mg/dL
• Bedtime: 100-140 mg/dL

If you experience high blood sugar levels or low blood glucose levels compared to this range you should speak to your doctor.

How You Can Treat It

The key is to act quickly. As treatable as it is, gestational diabetes can hurt you and your baby.

Treatment aims to keep your blood glucose levels normal. It can include special meal plans and regular physical activity. It can also include daily blood glucose testing and insulin injections.

We suggest the following target for women testing blood glucose levels during pregnancy:

• Before a meal: 95 mg/dl or less
• One hour after a meal: 140 mg/dl or less
• Two hours after a meal: 120 mg/dl or less

Always remember that this is treatableand working with your health care team can help ensure a healthy pregnancy.

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Levels In The Morning

The best time to check blood sugar levels in the morning is right when you wake up and before you eat anything. This gives you a glimpse of what may be happening overnight, and it gives you a baseline for the day.

These are goal levels, according to The Joslin Diabetes Center:

• Under 70 mg/dl if you do not have diabetes.
• 70 to 130 mg/dl if you have diabetes.

The dawn effect can often lead to a high morning measurement in diabetes. This is your bodys tendency to get ready for the day by raising blood sugar by increasing levels of counter-regulatory hormones the ones that counteract insulin as in normal blood sugar. For people with diabetes, you do not have the capacity to counterbalance this rise in blood sugar, so levels can be dangerously high.

Ways to lower your morning blood sugar value include:

• Eating dinner earlier
• Checking your medications making sure you are taking them properly and asking your doctor if they are correct
• Going for a walk after dinner

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Screening For Gestational Diabetes

During your first antenatal appointment at around week 8 to 12 of your pregnancy, your midwife or doctor will ask you some questions to determine whether you’re at an increased risk of gestational diabetes.

If you have 1 or more risk factors for gestational diabetes you should be offered a screening test.

The screening test is called an oral glucose tolerance test , which takes about 2 hours.

It involves having a blood test in the morning, when you have not had any food or drink for 8 to 10 hours . You’re then given a glucose drink.

After resting for 2 hours, another blood sample is taken to see how your body is dealing with the glucose.

The OGTT is done when you’re between 24 and 28 weeks pregnant. If you’ve had gestational diabetes before, you’ll be offered an OGTT earlier in your pregnancy, soon after your booking appointment, then another OGTT at 24 to 28 weeks if the first test is normal.

Find out more about an OGTT.

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A Rationale For Omitting Two

Get rights and content Objective: In making decisions regarding initiation of insulin therapy in gestational diabetes, most maternal-fetal obstetricians rely more on elevated fasting glucose values than on elevated 2-hour postprandial levels. We sought to determine whether the latter test is necessary. Study Design: From the patients with gestational diabetes mellitus managed over a 17-month period at Grady Memorial Hospital, we retrospectively analyzed data to determine whether normal fasting plasma glucose values predict elevated 2-hour postprandial values and whether the latter predict adverse outcome. Results: From 194 patients with gestational diabetes mellitus, 546 paired fasting and 2-hour postprandial glucose values were recorded. Fasting levels were normal in 467 in those, 2-hour levels were < 120 mg/dl in 83% and < 140 in fully 96%. In 131 women with all fasting plasma glucose values normal, the birth weights and the rates of cesarean delivery, shoulder dystocia, and macrosomia were similar, regardless of whether 2-hour postprandial glucose values were> 120. The actual cost of the 546 2-hour postprandial glucose tests was nearly $10,000. Conclusion: For metabolic surveillance in gestational diabetes mellitus, the 2-hour postprandial glucose test seems unnecessary, provided fasting plasma glucose values remain normal.Continue reading > >

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Blood Sugar Levels During Pregnancy

Blood glucose control is one of the most important factors during pregnancy. Tight blood glucose control, helps to ensure the best chance of a successful pregnancy.

Diabetes control is important for people who have diabetes going into their pregnancy as well as people who develop diabetes during their pregnancy .

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Possible Complications For The Baby

Unlike type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes generally occurs too late to cause birth defects. Birth defects usually originate sometime during the first trimester of pregnancy. The insulin resistance from the contra-insulin hormones produced by the placenta does not usually occur until approximately the 24th week. Women with gestational diabetes mellitus generally have normal blood sugar levels during the critical first trimester.

The complications of GDM are usually manageable and preventable. The key to prevention is careful control of blood sugar levels just as soon as the diagnosis of diabetes is made.

Infants of mothers with gestational diabetes are vulnerable to several chemical imbalances, such as low serum calcium and low serum magnesium levels, but, in general, there are two major problems of gestational diabetes: macrosomia and hypoglycemia:

Blood glucose is monitored very closely during labor. Insulin may be given to keep the mothers blood sugar in a normal range to prevent the babys blood sugar from dropping excessively after delivery.

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What Is The Two

The two-hour glucose tolerance test is basically a shortened version of the three-hour tolerance test. If you get this test, you likely wont do the screening test first, which is why the two-hour version is sometimes referred to as the one-step glucose tolerance test.

Overnight fast: Typically youre instructed to eat a late meal the night before the test and then to eat or drink nothing after that, except for sips of water. The fasting period is usually 8 to 14 hours before the test, so youll want to schedule the test for first thing in the morning.

Heres what to expect at the lab:

• First blood draw: When you arrive for the test, a blood sample is taken to measure your fasting blood glucose level.
• Sweet drink: Next, youll drink a very sweet drink, which usually contains 75 grams of glucose.
• Two more blood draws: Your blood will be drawn at one hour and two hours after the drink.
• Results: If any of your blood sugar readings are abnormal you will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

This chart shows the levels that the American Diabetes Association considers abnormal at each interval of the two-hour glucose tolerance test :

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Blood Sugar Type 1 Diabetes Risk Factors Log Sheet

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How The Test Is Performed

TWO-STEP TESTING

During the first step, you will have a glucose screening test:

• You do not need to prepare or change your diet in any way.
• You will be asked to drink a liquid that contains glucose.
• Your blood will be drawn 1 hour after you drink the glucose solution to check your blood glucose level.

If your blood glucose from the first step is too high, you will need to come back for a 3-hour glucose tolerance test. For this test:

• DO NOT eat or drink anything for 8 to 14 hours before your test.
• You will be asked to drink a liquid that contains glucose, 100 grams .
• You will have blood drawn before you drink the liquid, and again 3 more times every 60 minutes after you drink it. Each time, your blood glucose level will be checked.
• Allow at least 3 hours for this test.

ONE-STEP TESTING

You need to go to the lab one time for a 2-hour glucose tolerance test. For this test:

• DO NOT eat or drink anything for 8 to 14 hours before your test.
• You will be asked to drink a liquid that contains glucose .
• You will have blood drawn before you drink the liquid, and again 2 more times every 60 minutes after you drink it. Each time, your blood glucose level will be checked.
• Allow at least 2 hours for this test.

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Normal Blood Sugar Levels For Gestational Diabetes

05-Sep-2018 | Pennie Solorio

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Who Is At Risk Of Gestational Diabetes

Between 3% and 8% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. It is usually detected around weeks 24 to 28 of pregnancy, although it can develop earlier. Being diagnosed with gestational diabetes can be both unexpected and upsetting. It is important to reach out and get support and help with managing it.

Some women are at increased risk of developing gestational diabetes. This includes women who:

• are over 40 years of age

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How Do You Manage Blood Sugar

It’s not easy to manage your blood sugar, but it’s important to do so if you have diabetes. There are many things you can do to keep your blood sugar levels in the healthy range.

The first step is to understand what causes your blood sugar levels to go up and down. This will help you make choices that keep your blood sugar levels within your target range.

How Can I Measure My Blood Sugar Levels

You can measure your blood glucose levels with a glucometer. First, you prick your finger with a small device called a lancet to get a drop of blood. Your blood goes on a test strip which you put into the glucometer. Then, the device tells you your blood sugar levels.

You can also use a continuous glucose monitoring device, which uses a sensor that’s placed under your skin to automatically check your levels every few minutes.

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Different Types Of Foods To Avoid With Diabetes Diabetes

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Youâre more likely to get gestational diabetes if you:

• Were overweight before you got pregnant
• Are African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Alaska Native, Pacific Islander, or Native American
• Have blood sugar levels that are higher than they should be but not high enough to be diabetes
• Have a family member with diabetes
• Have had gestational diabetes before
• Have polycystic ovary syndrome or another health condition linked to problems with insulin
• Have given birth to a baby who was stillborn or had certain birth defects
• Are older than 25

Levels After Youve Eaten

Many foods have types of carbohydrates called starches and sugars. When you eat foods with these types of carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, which is a type of simple sugar, and releases the glucose into your bloodstream. Aside from glucose produced by your liver, food is the main source of plasma glucose.

Two hours after eating, your blood sugar levels rise. They rise more when you eat more carbohydrates, when you do not eat fiber, fat, or protein with your carbs, and when you eat certain types of carbohydrates, such as refined sugars and starches.

These are target values from The Joslin Diabetes Center, which include levels for people with diabetes:

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Sugar Level During Pregnancy Whats Normal

The form of diabetes which develops during pregnancy is known as gestational diabetes. This condition has become predominant in the recent pastaccording to the 2009 article in American Family Physician. For instance, in the United States alone, it affects around 5% to 9% of all the pregnant women. Pregnancy aggravates the preexisting type 2 and type 1 diabetes. During pregnancy the sugar level may tend to be high sometimes, posing problems to the mother and the infant as well. However, concerning the sugar level during pregnancy, whats normal? Blood sugar control is one of the most essential factors that should be undertaken during pregnancy. When measures are taken to control blood sugar level during pregnancy, it increases chances of a successful pregnancy.

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What Not To Eat The Night Before A Glucose Test

Here is a list of foods not to eat before your glucose test.

If your glucose challenge test is tomorrow, it is a good idea to avoid high glycemic foods for at least 8 hours before the glucose test.

These foods include

• Breakfast cereal

All of these will spike your glucose levels high.

Instead, go for whole grains that contain complex carbohydrates, such as steel-cut oats, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and leafy green vegetables.

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