@chindimples04 Aren't you definitely going to fail if you eat cereal and then 50 mg of glucose on top of it? I really don't know why they can't just standardize the 1-hr as a fasted test vs. making people guess what/when to eat.
Agreed with this. I understand and appreciate the desire to not falsely pass, but the test doesn't really work that way. If you have GD, you aren't going to be able to "trick" the test into passing just because you fast beforehand or eat a high protein breakfast. It would be basically impossible to falsely pass, but pretty easy to accidentally fail if you eat sugary cereal or a big frosted donut and then go drink 50g of glucose.
In general, you do not need to fast before the 1 hour test. However it would be smart not to eat a high carb meal within 2 hours of the test, as that would cause your blood sugar to be elevated from eating, before you even consume the drink. Anything prior to 2 hours before the test is pretty much fair game (for the 1 hr test). The 3 hr GD test is different and does require fasting.
I have been diagnosed with GD previously and I chose to eat a normal for me, high protein breakfast about 2.5 hours before my 1 hr GD test. In theory, my blood sugar should be back to baseline by 2 hours after eating, and the breakfast I had should not have impacted the test.
@noprobalo I ate my normal diet when I took my test for my first, which was a breakfast sandwich and a Dr. Pepper and pasta for lunch. Passed with flying colors, well under the high end. But again, I’m definitely in the minority of rather knowing and failing based on my current diet than faking out the test.
TTC History
Me: 26 DH: 27
TTC #1 | June '18-August '18 | DD | Born April 21, 2019 | Due May 10, 2019
TTC#2 | June '20-February '21 | DS | Due October 27, 2021
@chindimples04 And I ate a breakfast with about 15g total carbs/3g net carbs and failed wildly. But my numbers after one hour on the 3-hr test were lower than my final on the 1-hr, even though it's twice the amount of glucose. But I agree with @galentine that the way it's set up, it's likely quite difficult to trigger a false negative and comparatively very easy to get a false positive.
In any case, I hear if you start looking like you have GD after all, they just make you take the 3-hr test later.
Edit: Actually, after a quick literature review, it looks like it's not very accurate in either direction, but the standard cutoffs weight it more in the direction of giving a false positive. So I'm really not sure why this is a standard test. Oh well. 😕
They had me take the glucose test early in like the first trimester. I forgot I was taking the test and I ended up eating 2 plan waffles and some watermelon. I ended up passing with eating waffles and watermelon. When I told my doctor that, she said she didn't know how I passed it.
After I passed, they said I had to take it again when everyone else takes it. 😫 I just did it yesterday and passed. This time I just ate eggs before taking it. The only thing now is my red blood cell count is a slightly low. I dont think too low to be consider anemic but I think I just need to eat things with more iron. I have an appointment on Friday so we will see what my doctor thinks.
Edit: Actually, after a quick literature review, it looks like it's not very accurate in either direction, but the standard cutoffs weight it more in the direction of giving a false positive. So I'm really not sure why this is a standard test. Oh well. 😕
This is intentional. The 1 hr test is a "screening" and the 3 hr test is actually diagnostic. They intentionally keep the "fail" threshold low on the 1 hr test to catch everyone who could possibly have GD. So while it may seem like lots of people get a false positive on the 1 hr test, it's designed that way to check those that might be borderline. A very high percentage of people who fail the 1hr will go on to pass the 3hr.
Some clinics are going directly to a 2 hr diagnostic test now to reduce the number of people who unnecessarily have to come back to take the 3hr test. I wish my clinic would do that!
As for me, I officially failed the 1hr test. Just got results back that I failed by only 3 points. I was similarly borderline with my DD (with her I failed by 4 points). Most people who fail by such a small margin go on to pass the 3hr test, but I'm not feeling optimistic. It feels like deja vu with my DDs pregnancy. I'm going to schedule my 3hr test for later this week to get it out of the way, and I'll take all the good vibes please!
@galentine sorry to hear you didn't pass the 1hr! I hope the 3hr goes well. I just did my 1hr today; it wasn't bad, but I could eventually feel the sugar crash coming on. Fortunately, my daughter has recovered her memory of how to nap in her crib, so I plan to take advantage of the next two hours! 😁
This is intentional. The 1 hr test is a "screening" and the 3 hr test is actually diagnostic. They intentionally keep the "fail" threshold low on the 1 hr test to catch everyone who could possibly have GD. So while it may seem like lots of people get a false positive on the 1 hr test, it's designed that way to check those that might be borderline. A very high percentage of people who fail the 1hr will go on to pass the 3hr.
Tl;Dr - At a cutoff of 140mg/dl, the one hour test missed 14% of people who later failed the three hour test and incorrectly flagged 35% of people who later passed it, among high risk pregnancies.
https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/41/7/e111 found that it missed 40% of people who failed the WHO-standard 2-hour test at the same threshold. The researchers concluded the one hour had limited value.
Man, now I'm mad I had to take the one hour at all instead of just doing a two hour and calling it done. What a waste of time. 😠
@noprobalo, I was just reading similar journals today! It seems like the US is behind the times and really should switch to the 2 hour diagnostic test. I have heard of some clinics offering the 2 hour test, but the 1hr followed by 3hr seems to be much more prevalent still. Annoying!
My MD specifically said 'eat normal'. Problem is my normal is fasting lol since I skip breakfast typically. I searched some literature and it says eat low carb. I had three eggs and butter which I thought was a normal breakfast.
Ok I am super confused because my office just called me and said I failed. It was 191 ☹️ All I had was a water and banana. The OB office said I should have been fasting but I don’t recall fasting with my last pregnancy when I did it. Now I have to do a 3 hour glucose and I want to cry. Can someone clarify this? Would a banana really have caused that high of a sugar?!
@k_rn21 How my MD explained it is you dont have to fast and you can eat normal breakfast. However if you didnt eat (let's say your appt is at 8am and you havent had breakfast yet), the test will still be valid. Remember even if you didnt eat, or if you had a light breakfast, that glucose drink is still enough sugar for screening and drive you to 191. That said many fail the screening and pass the 3hr so fingers crossed!
@k_rn21 Potentially. Bananas are 100% carbohydrates, so layering a glucose drink on top of it may have done it. I got 171 after eggs and a turkey sausage patty. 😒
Got my TDAP shot and an order for a breast pump. Also scheduled alllll my remaining regular appointments! Kinda scary 😬
Blahhh. I’m just concerned because I was worried about GD earlier in this pregnancy with some symptoms I was having but yeah hopefully this is just a fluke and it was what I ate plus the drink on top of that. I am terrified of failing this 3 test though.
Earlier this week I failed the 1 hr GD screening with a 142. I had my 3 hr test today, and felt pretty ok until the last draw at the 3 hour mark. I felt super shaky and lightheaded. Not surprising, considering I had been fasting for 15+ hours at that point (minus all the glucose, of course! 🤦♀️) The nurse actually called me a few hours later to check on me. Apparently my blood sugar was so low at the 3 hour mark, that they wanted to make sure I was feeling better. Yikes!
BUT in fantastic news, I PASSED! I am so very relieved and excited to avoid GD this go around! 🎉
I failed my 1hr with a 166. I have no risk factors for GD, am 5’7”, 120 lbs and 27 weeks along. However I did eat a pack of smokehouse almonds during my 1 hour wait because I felt so terrible after drinking that nasty thing.
Maybe I shouldn’t have because now I have to do the 3 hour test 🤦🏼♀️
I’ve been checking it with a glucose monitor and I’m 67-115 pre-meal and post meal. I feel like I should’ve cared more during the first one! edited for spelling
@mac-n-cheesy Aw, that sucks. Maybe your stomach didn't empty at the usual speed from eating the almonds. Are you able to eat more/different foods now? I'm really glad to see you back.
@mac-n-cheesy, I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to eat anything at all (regardless of carb content) between drinking the glucola and getting your blood drawn. Did you mention to the provider that you had eaten? Maybe if you explain, you could just repeat the 1 hour.
@noprobalo yes I’ve been able to tolerate a little more diversity in food thankfully. All is well with the baby and I go in every week alternating growth scans and OB appointments. Thanks for the welcome back. @galentine and @cait32 I was totally not supposed to eat during the 1 hour. I knew this and I felt so weak, tired and hungry that I kind of just said “f*ck it!” I’d rather just take the 3 hour than admit I purposely didn’t follow directions. I’m in my last class before I can apply to a CLS program (medical micro) so I think I’ll just work on term paper.
Ok, I keep getting different answers from my OB office and the nurses that did the bloodwork Friday. I didn't fast for the 1hr, I had two pieces of sausage and got a 149, the doctor told me not to fast and the nurse told me to fast, so I went with what the doctor said.
But for the 3 hr I do fast? I know you guys covered this last week, but I am still so confused.
@gingermama46, different providers have different guidance for the 1hr regarding fasting, but the 3 hr test definitely requires a fast. They'll take a fasting blood sugar reading before you drink the glucose. I was told to fast for 12 hours.
Yes fast for the 3 hr. I did my 3 hr this morning but no results yet. It wasn't too bad. I am apparently a champ at sitting around playing on my phone for hours 😆 My biggest complaint was the packed waiting room and the couple of men who kept their masks pulled down and kept coughing. Wtf!!
My doctor did message me back and said that I should no eat/drink anything past midnight. I am going out with friends this evening and was going to have a NA beer, at 8, should I avoid and drink water?? The lab is walk in only, so I am hoping to get there by 8 tomorrow.
@gingermama46 You're probably okay there. I stopped eating/drinking anything but water after 6 PM, but that was probably overkill.
@kandb4 I was not allowed to drink during the test, but I was allowed a normal amount of water in the morning beforehand. But I guess that isn't universal. Some people report no water in the morning but being allowed sips during.
It seems like a LOT of us in this group ended up having to do the 3hr test. Bummer!
Also I want to apologize (but kind of in a "sorry not sorry" way 😂) if I've been annoyingly involved in the GD testing discussions on this thread. I was diagnosed with GD during my first pregnancy, so I know first hand how much of a pain in the ass it is. It isn't the end of the world, but it's just downright unpleasant to deal with on top of all the other challenges pregnancy brings. So I have wanted to wish everyone luck and cheer for everyone when they pass. Hope I haven't been too obnoxious ❤
Re: July Appointments
I have been diagnosed with GD previously and I chose to eat a normal for me, high protein breakfast about 2.5 hours before my 1 hr GD test. In theory, my blood sugar should be back to baseline by 2 hours after eating, and the breakfast I had should not have impacted the test.
Me: 26 DH: 27
TTC #1 | June '18-August '18 | DD | Born April 21, 2019 | Due May 10, 2019
TTC#2 | June '20-February '21 | DS | Due October 27, 2021
In any case, I hear if you start looking like you have GD after all, they just make you take the 3-hr test later.
Edit: Actually, after a quick literature review, it looks like it's not very accurate in either direction, but the standard cutoffs weight it more in the direction of giving a false positive. So I'm really not sure why this is a standard test. Oh well. 😕
After I passed, they said I had to take it again when everyone else takes it. 😫 I just did it yesterday and passed. This time I just ate eggs before taking it. The only thing now is my red blood cell count is a slightly low. I dont think too low to be consider anemic but I think I just need to eat things with more iron. I have an appointment on Friday so we will see what my doctor thinks.
Some clinics are going directly to a 2 hr diagnostic test now to reduce the number of people who unnecessarily have to come back to take the 3hr test. I wish my clinic would do that!
Tl;Dr - At a cutoff of 140mg/dl, the one hour test missed 14% of people who later failed the three hour test and incorrectly flagged 35% of people who later passed it, among high risk pregnancies.
https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/41/7/e111 found that it missed 40% of people who failed the WHO-standard 2-hour test at the same threshold. The researchers concluded the one hour had limited value.
Man, now I'm mad I had to take the one hour at all instead of just doing a two hour and calling it done. What a waste of time. 😠
Got my TDAP shot and an order for a breast pump. Also scheduled alllll my remaining regular appointments! Kinda scary 😬
BUT in fantastic news, I PASSED! I am so very relieved and excited to avoid GD this go around! 🎉
edited for spelling
@galentine and @cait32 I was totally not supposed to eat during the 1 hour. I knew this and I felt so weak, tired and hungry that I kind of just said “f*ck it!” I’d rather just take the 3 hour than admit I purposely didn’t follow directions. I’m in my last class before I can apply to a CLS program (medical micro) so I think I’ll just work on term paper.
But for the 3 hr I do fast? I know you guys covered this last week, but I am still so confused.
I did my 3 hr this morning but no results yet. It wasn't too bad. I am apparently a champ at sitting around playing on my phone for hours 😆 My biggest complaint was the packed waiting room and the couple of men who kept their masks pulled down and kept coughing. Wtf!!
My doctor did message me back and said that I should no eat/drink anything past midnight. I am going out with friends this evening and was going to have a NA beer, at 8, should I avoid and drink water?? The lab is walk in only, so I am hoping to get there by 8 tomorrow.
@kandb4 I was not allowed to drink during the test, but I was allowed a normal amount of water in the morning beforehand. But I guess that isn't universal. Some people report no water in the morning but being allowed sips during.
Also I want to apologize (but kind of in a "sorry not sorry" way 😂) if I've been annoyingly involved in the GD testing discussions on this thread. I was diagnosed with GD during my first pregnancy, so I know first hand how much of a pain in the ass it is. It isn't the end of the world, but it's just downright unpleasant to deal with on top of all the other challenges pregnancy brings. So I have wanted to wish everyone luck and cheer for everyone when they pass. Hope I haven't been too obnoxious ❤