Glucose challenge test at under 8 weeks?

divinemsbee · January 2015

I thought I'd get the biggest range of answers here.

So, I went in for my 'orientation' today (it's a meeting with a nurse where I get all the handouts and such and she set up my appointments for the next couple of months). She calculated my BMI and it was just under 30 (which is overweight/obese, I know, and I've really been working for a while to get and stay healthier, and I am much more so than I was several months ago). Which meant an early glucose test. I thought that would mean around 12 weeks, which I have heard of. She said it would have to be today. I'm 7w5d. I had had nothing to eat (meeting was at 7:45, we left the house before 7), so I sat and ate some string cheese and then had it done.

My questions is, is that normal? Even for a high-end BMI, under 8 weeks seems really early. Also, I thought that the main cause of GD was the placenta, which I thought wasn't really 'set up' so to speak until closer to second tri. I could very well be wrong. Obviously, I'm happy to take as many tests as I need to to make sure this pregnancy is healthy, but I wanted to make sure that this sounded kosher. Also, they do not do a 3 hour test at all at my hospital, which seems unusual. It would seem like a lot more women would get caught in the GD net that didn't really have it.

Anyway, thoughts? Does this seem okay or nuts? I'm seeing my doctor on Friday, so I'll know by then.

MrsCarroll.6-10-07 · January 2015

I had to have the same testing done when I was having some blood sugar issues and they wanted to check to make sure I wasn't diabetic and I was NOT even pregnant. Its pretty much the same test and same drink. So it sounds like they might just be checking on how your body is processing it now and then they will probably recheck it again later. I am also overweight but my practice typically has not ordered this test for me early in the pregnancy, but I go in a few weeks so we'll see if it has changed.

divinemsbee · January 2015

I think the weird part to me is that, while overweight, I've never had any blood sugar issues. I had an A1c done just a few months ago and it was in a totally normal range. I know that doesn't really affect gestational diabetes because it's a different beast, but with no other issues this early seemed weird.

laurasuzanne2006 · January 2015

Why don't they just do an a1c. More accurate anyway

MrsCarroll.6-10-07 · January 2015

Do you have any family history or GD or diabetes?

KendrakayeT · January 2015

As someone who does those tests in a lab for a living, I can tell you that at our facility, we generally don't do the one hour glucose challenge until 24-28 weeks. If you fail the one hour glucose, which happens, then you have to do the more extensive three hour glucose test (fasting). I'm not sure why your hospital doesn't do the 3-hour, but maybe they have their reasons. PPs mentioned having an A1c done. This would check for Type II diabetes and not necessarily GD because A1c measures your average glucose over the past 120 days (which would date back to before you were pregnant).

Being currently pregnant myself, when I went in at 9 weeks and had all my prenatal lab work done, they did just a regular glucose on me. I imagine if that had been abnormal they would have pursued it further.

My advice to you would be to ask your doctor why they are doing it this early. If he/she is a decent human-being, they should be able to give you a straight answer without feeling offended that you're questioning them.

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Glucose challenge test at under 8 weeks?

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