Gestational diabetes can be rough , but diagnosed, it is controllable and easy to deal with. Here are a few facts about the test and diagnostics.

When you go to your first prenatal visit, you will arrange a one hour glucose tolerance test. This test screens for sugar levels which might be the result of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). In this stage GDM is not diagnosed, only the risk factor is tested.

In the test, you drink a glucose based mixture (sugar and water), wait for exactly one hour and then blood is drawn from you. If you live close enough to your doctor's office, you may ask him to drink the liquid at home, arriving only to give blood (if it means not sitting for an hour in your doctor's office, take that opportunity). Another symptom is sugar in your urine, which a simple urine test can discover.

If your blood sugar is high, it does not mean that you have GDM. You will need to set up another appointment, for a three hour test.

In that test, you will be requested to fast over night, give blood in the morning, after giving the blood drinking the mixture again and giving blood after every hour for three hours (oh joy!)

The highest risk groups are obese women, older women, women with chronic hypertension and women with diabetes history in their family.

Diabetes is caused by a pancreas malfunction, unable to produce enough insulin, however, if it produces too much, it causes a another type of diabetes.   In case the result is positive, you will need to do a few things: first, schedule an appointment with a nutrition specialist. He or she will recommend a suitable diet, which you will have to maintain until told otherwise.

Second, you might be asked from your doctor to monitor your sugar levels. This is done by a machine, diagnosing your blood. All you need to do is to prick your finger four times a day (ouch). You will also need to follow an exercise routine.

The most common risk for GDM is delivering a large baby, who will be at risk for type 2 diabetes later in life.  The good news is that only two to five percent of women suffer from GDM and most of those cases are mild.
 

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