The Conversation – Are you at risk of being diagnosed with gestational diabetes? It depends on where you live

Rae Thomas et al

Sarah lives in London. She is pregnant with her first child. Her mother had gestational diabetes and Sarah is told this puts her into a higher risk category for the condition, thus she should have a test.

At 26 weeks, she has a 75g fasting glucose test to see if she has gestational diabetes. The test requires fasting, drinking the equivalent of two cans of soft drink, and takes several hours.

The next week her doctor tells her the initial fasting blood test showed a blood glucose level of 5.5 millimoles per litre (mmol/l), and that the two-hour level was 7.5mmol/l. This means she is under the cut-off and so not diagnosed with gestational diabetes. She is delighted.

https://theconversation.com/are-you-at-risk-of-being-diagnosed-with-gestational-diabetes-it-depends-on-where-you-live-112515