Fasting blood sugar results

[bev26]

I had a fasting blood sugar done and results back today saying they're ok at 6. My gp and maternity are saying they're fine. Online and mums with gestational diabetes are saying 6 is high for a fasting reading? I'm 21 weeks pregnant and confused!!!

[rubyboo2]

7mmol is a normal reading for glucose levels . I would pay attention to the dr . Anything above 7-7.5 mmols is high so 6 mmol is fine . If your unsure ask your gp for a Hba1c this gives them an average of your blood glucose over the last 3 months but I am guessing you have had this done .

[bev26]

I'm not sure if I've had that done lol. So anything under 7 is normal after fasting? Xx

[TarkaTheOtter]

Are you sure they are treating it as a fasting reading? Sounds like they are treating it as a random blood test. How long did you fast before the test?

[bev26]

Fasted from 10pm and got the test at 9:35am

[TarkaTheOtter]

Sorry if it's a stupid question, but were you explicitly told to fast? It's just that I have never heard of a fasting test being used in pregnancy except as part of the GTT.

[bev26]

Yes I was told to fast by the GP on Monday because I had a small trace of sugar in my urine and she told me to fast Tuesday night and come in wednesday morning to get bloods done and I got the results this morning

[bev26]

It wasn't my GTT, that's on the 16th December. This was a blood test from the GP

[TooSpotty]

I'm sorry but I'm going to disagree a bit.

6 is too high to be a 'normal' fasting result. When I had GDM, my fasting bloods were meant to be below 5.5. I believe the WHO recommends medicating for fasting levels at 5.9 and above. When not pregnant, a fasting blood result of 6 would be considered pre-diabetic. A GTT with a fasting level of 6 would be a fail.

Diabetic experts are increasingly trying to stop GPs regarding anything under 7 as normal.

Given the sugar in your urine, and the fact that you're only 21 weeks pregnant (gestational diabetes often only kicks in towards the end of the second trimester/start of the third) I would keep an eye on this.

[bev26]

Great :(

[TooSpotty]

Sorry. I know it's a pain. It doesn't necessarily mean the GTT will show a problem (fasting bloods can vary) but I think you should prepare yourself.

On the bright side, for me being diagnosed with GD means I've since lost four stones, changed the way I eat, hopefully reduced my risk of developing Type II diabetes, and also ended up two stone lighter than when I got pregnant the day after giving birth. The diet is absolutely fine once you get used to it too.

[hopefull2424]

Perhaps make another appointment to see gp hun and ask them your concerns. I would as I hate feeling anxious about things xx

[TarkaTheOtter]

I agree with what TooSpotty says. I would see te GP again and ask for the GTT to be brought forward. Are you under midwife care too? I would maybe speak to your midwife as well because your gp may not be completely up to date with diabetes in pregnancy. The levels are much stricter than otherwise.

[bev26]

I'm waiting for the GP to ring me back, she was still in surgery at 5:30, I'm proper scared because I don't understand the diet. I've got quite bad anxiety problems (have had for the past 10 years) and I'm now worrying over this. I don't understand the diet either, I looked on Monday and it just baffled me xx

[rubyboo2]

Hi Bev I was a nurse , I think you need to discuss the results with your dr or midwife rather than asking peoples opinions who are not medically trained or searching on the internet at non evidence based websites , you will end up stressing yourself out .

[TarkaTheOtter]

Try not to worry bev. Even if you do have GD (and you might not) it's really not that bad. The diet is just healthy eating really. You'll get lots of support once diagnosed - you won't have to figure things out for yourself.

[TooSpotty]

Please do try not to worry. Ruby is right that you should talk to someone properly about it so you can ask as many questions as you want. The fact is that diabetes specialists can take a different view to GPs on things like this, and midwives can vary, so it is better to be prepared.

If it does come to it, Tarka is right, they should be very supportive. And there are usually running threads on here about GD too with lots of people going through with you.

[TinyMonkey]

Seriously don't worry about it. As far as diet goes just look up low GI diets.

Fasting limits where I am are 5.5, and 7.8 1 hour after eating, but it differs between NHS Trusts I think.

I had a fasting blood test at 14 weeks because I had a high BMI at booking in and am older. It came back ok, as did an early GTT at 21 weeks. I then had another GTT at 28 weeks and it was borderline for GD so I've been diet controlling since then, and on Metformin for the last couple of weeks. Baby due next Tuesday by c-section (only because it's breech).

I was really upset when I was diagnosed as I felt guilty and overwhelmed but you do get the hang of what you can and can't eat (and this also varies from person to person). The silver lining is that I haven't put on tons of excess weight, although the baby is on course to be a bit larger.

You'll be fine, and so will your baby, but it's worth taking seriously.

[bev26]

Thank you very much everyone, I had a phone call from the GP and she said over here (Northern Ireland) they like it to be under 7 for fasting, but pregnant they say between 3.4 and 5.9, so I'm 0.1 over. She told me not to worry about it, but eat a very healthy diet and repeat the test next Friday and she will speak to me on the Monday.
I do feel guilty too if I do have it because I will openly hold my hands up and admit to not eating the best (all in order to get baby moving when I couldn't feel him) like fizzy pop, ice cream, fizzy sweets etc. I'm crossing my fingers that after a week of strict eating it goes down a little bit.
Do you guys have any info on the correct foods or maybe any links with info on?
Thank you all again, you've helped me calm down xxxx

[TooSpotty]

What you eat CANNOT cause GD, so please don't feel guilty. It can though make it worse, so changing your diet a bit could well improve things in a week.

The main idea is to avoid sugar. Not just sugar in sweet things but also the sugar in simple carbs - that's white bread, white rice, etc. Try to eat whole meal versions of carbohydrates, and in fairly limited amounts. Different people react to different things - eg I couldn't really tolerate bread at all but could cope with potato fairly well. If you are diagnosed with GD you'll be asked to monitor your blood sugar (again, very straightforward once you've done it a few times) and you'll find out through trial and error what affects you. Avoid fruit juice too - better to eat the actual fruit, and keep to the lower sugar fruits like apples and berries. As a rule of thumb, if it's native to the UK, it will be lower in sugar.

Another thing to do is to always combine protein with your carbs, as that slows the sugar release. Ditto fats too, so cheese on an oatcake makes a great snack, or hummus. You can also have occasional treats! Exercise is great for lowering blood sugar too, even just walking or housework.

There are lots of resources out there. As TinyMonkey says, google low-GI diets for ideas. Millions of people eat like this all the time without feeing deprived (I'm one of them) so you WILL cope if you need to do this. And if you can control your blood sugars this way, you minimise any potential effects of GD. I had a very normal sized baby with no health issues at all.