Posts Tagged fasting glucose test
Practical Remedies
Posted by in Pregnancy on September 19th, 2009
Once your doctor has determined that you mean one or more risk factors for gestational diabetes, testing is in order. In fact, glucose screening when pregnant is a common way to test for gestational diabetes. Glucose screening when pregnant involves a series of tests. These tests will measure the levels of glucose in your blood. So each individual test will require that blood be drawn.
Glucose screening when pregnant is the primary way gestational diabetes is diagnosed. Since there is no known cause for this disease, glucose screening when pregnant, is very important. Not only is there no known cause for this disease, few women experience symptoms from it. Many of the symptoms, women do experience are so closely related to the process of pregnancy, they get overlooked. An example of such symptoms is nausea and vomiting.
The first test in glucose screening when pregnant is the fasting glucose test. Depending on the results of this test, no further test may need to be performed. The next test is called the 2-hour postprandial glucose test. This one is performed on a full stomach, rather than an empty one like the fasting test. The other test is called the random glucose test.
If glucose screening when pregnant results in a gestational diabetes diagnosis, treatment is the next step. Most doctors begin treating this form of diabetes through a change in diet, and regular exercise. Once these are incorporated into a pregnant woman’s schedule, she should see some change in her glucose levels. It depends on the way this disease progresses, how your physician will proceed.
In some pregnant women, dietary changes, and exercise are not enough. They will most often be prescribed an anti-diabetic medication, such as, insulin. If this is the case, your health care provider, will make certain you understand how to take this medication. They will also make sure you understand when to take insulin, and how much.
Home remedies for pregnant women are popularly searched for, as it relates to gestational diabetes. Many women begin to look for non-medicated ways to treat their diabetes. Home remedies for pregnant women are typically safe. But it may be wise to consult your doctor, before adopting any treatment processes. This is especially important if you plan to take any type of supplement.
One home remedy to deal with gestational diabetes is alpha lipoic acid. Taking this is a way to control your sugar levels. Alpha lipoic acid is considered to be an antioxidant. Another supplement, one could use is chromium picolinate. Taking 400mcg of this is said to keep your glucose levels low. Some even opt to take garlic pills. Garlic is thought to be a sugar regulator.
There is another unique remedy used for this form of diabetes. It’s essentially a tea, composed of some rather strange ingredients. This tea is made from kidney beans, white beans, navy beans, lima beans, and northern beans. This concoction is thought to affect one’s pancreas, by removing toxins. This is an avenue of making the overall body healthier.
You can find helpful information about home remedies for pregnant women and everything you need to know about glucose screening when pregnant at Aha! Baby.
Article Source: Practical Remedies
The Jelly Bean Study
Posted by in Pregnancy on September 19th, 2009
One of the most important components of diagnosing gestational diabetes, is the screening process. One test that has become popular, in the screening process, involve the use of jelly beans for gestational diabetes. Since many women to not see specific symptoms of this disease, diagnosis can be difficult. And since there is no certain cause of gestational diabetes, it is hard to connect the dots between symptoms and this condition.
Yes, caring for gestational diabetes when pregnant, is important, which is why testing is done. There are a number of tests that are a part of the screening. These are used essentially, to determine whether there are inappropriately high levels of glucose in a pregnant woman’s blood samples. These tests fall under the line of the non-challenge type of glucose tests.
The tests include a fasting glucose test, a 2-hour postprandial glucose test, and a random glucose test. The postprandial test focuses on the state of the pregnant woman’s blood after she has eaten. Then there is often a screen glucose challenge test performed. In the past there have been problems with this testing. Some pregnant women became nauseated or vomited, during one component of the screening.
This was generally the portion where they were expected to drink a thick, sweet cola like drink. Many of these women had problems keeping this drink down, which effected the testing process. Prompted by these troubles in determining gestational diabetes, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology stepped in.
The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology did a study on women who consumed this old cola like drink. They also looked at them in comparison to women who consumed jelly beans for getational diabetes testing. This study was very specific in its criteria. In the study there were specific types of jelly beans for gestational diabetes are used. They used jelly beans for gestational diabetes studies, made by the Brach & Brock company. They also used a certain number of jelly beans for gestational diabetes results.
In the traditional test, 50mg of oral glucose is used. This is administered in the sweet cola liquid. They found that anywhere from 10 to 15% of pregnant women vomited after drinking this liquid. So, the jelly bean alternative entered the picture. In the study women were given 18 jelly beans to eat. Use of this particular brand of candy, it equals the amount of glucose, needed in the screening process.
The traditional test required a certain period of time, before results could be checked. These pregnant women would be given tests, requiring a specific time interval for results. But women who were given the jelly bean test, results could be checked within 2 minutes of eating them. A venous plasma glucose value reading could be determined. This test unlike the ones of the past didn’t have to wait because of time restraints. The results of these tests allow you to focus on caring for gestational diabetes when pregnant, after receiving a diagnosis.
The jelly beans for gestational diabetes test did require a focus on whether a woman had eaten, or even when her last meal was. The study found that this test was a success and could be used instead of the cola drink.
You can find helpful information about caring for gestational diabetes when pregnant and everything you need to know about jelly beans for gestational diabetes at Aha! Baby.
Article Source: The Jelly Bean Study
