Glucose test

[Anonymous]

I'm on the border with my glucose test so I have to do the three hour ordeal. Has anyone done this? What does it entail? I'm completely upset about this because of family history, but I'm trying to remain calm and just get through the test. Any experiences?

[Anonymous]

I don't have any advice, but I can tell you that you're not alone. I'm doing the three-hour test on Thursday. My doctor informed me that the screen was changed about a year ago from 130 to 140, and she hasn't had anyone in that year who tested above 130 (but below 140) on the intial screen come back with a GD diagnosis after the 3-hour test. Try not to fret - just focus on taking care of yourself. I did a search on this forum yesterday for any historcial posts and there was thread with a lot of good information from Nov/Dec 2007; I found it reassuring. You should check it out.

[Anonymous]

Yep- been down that road. My Glucophage screen was 131 so I was sent to complete a 3 hour fasting test. My mother has diabetes currently and had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant with my younger sister. Plus, I was overweight so the extra precautions were warranted. I showed no abnormalities with the three hour test. I read that you can fail one of the challenge tests (out of three) but pass overall (i.e. not be diagnosed with gestational diabetes). Anyway, it was more of a hassle than anything else. I needed to fast 12 hours in advance then show up early for the first blood draw(8 am). Then you have to drink a super sweet substance and have blood drawn. Then wait an hour, and have more blood drawn, then wait another hour... They took 4 blood samples in all and I think urine. In between tests, I hung out in a back room- they had a nice recliner and magazines but I also brought my own reading material. I was done before noon. Don't worry, you will probably be fine- just grit your teeth and get through it (gossip mags help tremendously!).

[Anonymous]

I did the three hour test and it wasn't too bad. I kept drinking water b/c my empty stomach was making me a little queasy. My doc didn't make me sit in the office for the entire three hours...I just took a timer with me and had to come back 10 mintues before it went off so I got some errands done. The worse part was getting stuck so many times by the needle but that was pretty minor. It ended well for me as my 3 hour test came out normal.

[Anonymous]

More reassurance here!

My initial test was 135, and like you, I completely started worrying when I found out I had to take the 3-hour screen. I had no risk factors -- no family history, I'm not overweight, my weight gain has been right on target, I exercise...though I HAVE given in to the sweet tooth more frequently when pregnant.

I had my 3-hour done at a LabCorp facility at 7 a.m. -- I ate my last meal at about 7:30 the night before.

My test came back completely normal -- all four readings were well below the "problem" number, not even close to being borderline, in fact.

I think my first test was off because I took it late in the day, and even though I tried not to eat sugar that day, my breakfast cereal and the salad dressing I had at lunch may have been enough to give a false positive.

I read somewhere that only 1/3 of women who "fail" the 1 hour test also fail the 3 hour test.

[Anonymous]

baby #1 I had gest. diabetes but was able to control it with high protein, low carb/sugar diabetic diet. It is a pain in the rear but entirely manageable to have gest. diabetes and it goes away the second you deliver the baby.

Baby #2 failed the 1 hr test but passed the 3hr test so no gest. diabetes. I still was very careful with carbs and sugar esp in last trimester b/c when i cheated i packed on the pounds.

dont worry, even if you have gest diabetes, most women dont need to use any insulin shots or meds, just manage it with diet. i had 2 healthy babies so no ill effect on them!
good luck

[Anonymous]

I just had the 3 hour test last Saturday at lab corp after failing the first glucose screen. I passed the 3 hour test and everything was normal. For the initial test, I took it in the afternoon and wasn't fasting. For the 3 hour, I fasted for 12 hours and took it first thing in the morning so that might have been why I failed the first test and passed the second.

I was very worried about having to take the 3 hour test, but after speaking with my doctor and other pregnant women taking the test at the same time as me it became apparent that it is very common to fail the initial test and past the second. I know it is difficult, but try not to worry about it until you get your results as they may be perfectly normal.

[Anonymous]

My initial glucose test came back at 150 and I worried so much about failing the 3-hour test. I started reading books on gestational diabetes and cut out all the junk food in my diet. The next week, my 3-hour test came back totally normal - as a matter of fact, the numbers were really on the low side. So it turned out that I did all that worrying for nothing. But I think that it was a blessing in disguise because it caused me to start eating a lot healthier.

[Anonymous]

I also failed the one-hour test but passed the three-hour test. My advice, for whatever it's worth: (1) try to get the first appointment of the day to make the fasting easier; (2) take a straw with you to get the orange stuff down, it's sweeter/more concentrated for the three-hour test; and (3) take some kind of protein with you (I took a turkey sandwich) for afterward because you'll very likely be starving, and you need to put something in your stomach that's not sugary. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to let people know that I went in for my 3 hour test today at LabCorp and was told that I needed an appointment. I was a little surprised by this since I had checked the LabCorp website last night to lookup the hours for the facility that I planned to visit. I also looked up the test on the LabCorp website to see how long I needed to fast and if any other prep was required. Neither portion of their website said anything about needing an appointment or even accepting appointments. My doc's office didn't mention it either, although I don't really expect them to keep up with the policies at the various labs. I just wanted to get the word out so other people don't get surprised like I did.