What is a glucose tolerance test?

Glucose tolerance test is a term that is very unfamiliar to everyone, but many expectant mothers know that at a certain stage during pregnancy, they must do it regularly to ensure that they will not be troubled by gestational diabetes and high blood pressure. This is because diabetes will interfere with metabolism and is very harmful to both mother and baby, and may even infect the amniotic fluid, so glucose tolerance test is a must.

What is a glucose tolerance test?

What exactly is a glucose tolerance test? First of all, we need to understand what glucose tolerance is. In layman's terms, it is the body's tolerance to glucose. Hospitals usually conduct glucose tolerance tests on patients suspected of diabetes. If the blood sugar level in the glucose tolerance test is between 7.8 and 11.1 mmol/L 2 hours after taking sugar, it indicates that the body's glucose tolerance is reduced, which means that the body's absorption and utilization of sugar is worse than normal people. Impaired glucose tolerance does not cause any obvious discomfort, but it should not be taken lightly.

Glucose tolerance tests are mainly used to check for gestational diabetes. Because gestational diabetes or abnormal glucose metabolism during pregnancy can be harmful to both the mother and the baby, and may cause miscarriage, gestational hypertension, infection, polyhydramnios, ketoacidosis, premature birth, etc., a glucose tolerance test is very necessary. The frequently used test method is the fasting oral glucose tolerance test. The patient's diet and activity are not restricted for at least 3 days before the test. The test is performed in the early morning. Venous blood is drawn after fasting for 12 hours to measure fasting blood sugar. Then 75 grams of glucose powder is dissolved in 300 ml of water and drunk within 5 minutes. The blood glucose concentration was measured at 1, 2, and 3 hours after taking sugar. Eating, drinking and smoking are prohibited during the entire examination period. Abnormal glucose metabolism during pregnancy is a common complication of pregnancy