What happens if I drink water before taking a glucose tolerance test?

For pregnant mothers, it is very important to do glucose tolerance test. Glucose tolerance testing is mainly used to prevent gestational diabetes. However, many mothers will drink water when doing glucose tolerance tests due to physical reasons. In fact, for formal testing, you cannot drink water before doing the glucose tolerance test. If you accidentally drink water, mothers are advised to measure again another day to ensure the accuracy of the test.

What should I do if I drink water before doing a glucose tolerance test?

You can’t drink water before you test your glucose tolerance. In addition to not drinking water, there are some other things to pay attention to:

1) When drinking powdered sugar, don't drink it all in one breath. Drink it slowly and finish it within 10 minutes.

2) The night before the glucose tolerance test, it is best to eat light food and less rice. If you are hungry, eat some pumpkin. After 8 pm, don't eat anything except boiled water.

3) After drinking the sugar powder before the glucose tolerance test, it is best to walk more.

4) Of course, it is best to eat less sweets throughout pregnancy.

Do not drink coffee, tea, alcohol or smoke the day before the test, otherwise it will affect the results of the glucose tolerance test.

When to do glucose tolerance

Pregnant women with high risk factors for diabetes:

Pregnant women with a family history of diabetes, a body mass index greater than 24, a history of hypertension, a history of gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy, or a macrosomia should undergo a glucose tolerance test around 20 weeks of pregnancy, and the screening can be repeated once at 30-32 weeks of pregnancy.

Healthy pregnant women:

A glucose tolerance test should be performed between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. Because this period is the period of rapid fetal growth, the placenta secretion function of pregnant women becomes more and more vigorous, and various factors in the body that cause diabetes develop to the most obvious, so it is not easy to miss the diagnosis. On the other hand, if the pregnant woman is found to have sugar metabolism problems at this time, early treatment can be given to minimize possible harm to the mother and baby.

If a pregnant woman passes the glucose tolerance test at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy and has no abnormal symptoms, the risk of gestational diabetes can basically be ruled out. This is because after 28 weeks of pregnancy, the internal environment of the pregnant woman's body is relatively stable and the possibility of developing gestational diabetes is very small.

If a pregnant woman always feels hungry for a period of time, gains weight rapidly, or has abnormalities such as excessive amniotic fluid and a large fetus, she should also suspect whether she has a problem with sugar metabolism. She should go to the hospital in time and make a comprehensive judgment with the doctor based on blood pressure, edema, blood sugar and other factors.