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Gestational glucose assessment – diagnostic protocol and serum glucose parameter analysis during pregnancy

Oliwia Kaczmarek

Oliwia Kaczmarek

2026-03-18
4 min. read
Gestational glucose assessment – diagnostic protocol and serum glucose parameter analysis during pregnancy

Gestational glucose assessment – diagnostic protocol and serum glucose parameter analysis during pregnancy

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The oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) serves as the definitive diagnostic method for evaluating disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and impaired glucose tolerance. The procedure commences with the collection of venous blood samples under fasting conditions (a minimum of 8–12 hours without food intake). Subsequently, the patient is administered an aqueous solution consisting of 75 grams of anhydrous glucose dissolved in 250–300 milliliters of distilled water. Following ingestion, the individual must remain seated and abstain from consuming any additional food or beverages (with the exception of plain water) for the duration of the test. Sequential blood samples are then obtained at standardized intervals—typically at 60 and 120 minutes post-glucose load—to systematically assess the temporal fluctuations in blood glucose concentrations [1].

It's a sugar crop in pregnancy

The glucose load test is used in screening tests for gestational diabetes. Pregnant diabetes is defined as a glucose tolerance disorder of varying degrees that first occurred or were detected during pregnancy. In most women, hyperglycemia developed during pregnancy, but in some of them, diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) existed before pregnancy but was not previously detected.

Is that even when to run a sugar curve test in pregnancy?

If the glucose curve test is lower than 92 mg/dL at the start of pregnancy, then the glucurve test should be carried out in women between the 24th and 28th week of pregnancy. For women who are at risk of developing diabetes mellitus. This is a case-by-case test. If the indicated glucose concentration is below 92 mg /dL in the beginning of pregnancy then the sugar curve testing should be performed in women 24 to 28 weeks of gestation. In the case of pregnant women who have diabetes risk factors, a 75 mg glucose load test should also be performed as soon as possible. This applies especially to those with a future glucose level of less than 30 mg, as well as to those who have high or low blood sugar after the test.

Is this even how to prepare for a pregnancy glucose curve test?

When choosing a sugar curve test, a woman should fast. It is recommended that it is best when the break from the last meal is 814 hours. It's also important to follow a carbohydrate-free diet for at least 3 days before the test. For the average person with moderate physical activity, this means at least 150 g of carbs per day.

Diabetes mellitus in pregnancy is the norm

In the case of a three-point sugar curve (fasting, 1 hour and 2 hours after glucose intake) the standards are as follows: the fasting sugar level should be 92 mg/dl or less, the sugar level must not exceed 180 mg/ dl an hour after the intake, the glucose level must be 153 mg/DL or less after 2 hours. To determine that a woman has gestational diabetes, it is sufficient that only one of the above will be exceeded [2]. The consequences of economic malpractice in pregnant women are particularly dangerous because they pose a risk not only to her diagnosis but also to her work.
Oliwia Kaczmarek

Oliwia Kaczmarek

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