Need some advice on the timing of pinprick test for GD

[newtodiaper78]

So I'm 30 weeks along and was diagnosed with GD about 2 weeks ago. Let me tell you, I'm still in denial over it and quite pissed off to be exact. My diet has always been healthy (high fiber, organic, less sugar, etc) and I exercise regularly 3 to 4 times a week.

Anyway, the OBGYN and dietitian has me monitoring my blood sugars 4 times a day. I hate needles, so doing this is really hard for me.

Now my question is about the timing of the pinprick test for the after-meal glucose level. Do you take the test 2 hours AFTER you first started your meal? Or do you take it 2 hours AFTER you ended your meal?

If you are a slow eater, taking the test 2 hours after you started your meal will kind of give you an elevated result IMO. My reasoning is that you're still eating and your body has a shorter time to digest all the food you've eaten. So if you take 30 mins to eat, you only have 1.5 hours to process the remaining of the food, thus higher levels versus someone who finished eating in 10 mins. Or I could be wrong.

I did ask a dietitian to confirm and he said it's 2 hours after I started the meal. I sort of don't trust him since I felt that he was a bit insensitive to my situation during my first meeting with him. He kind of said that it's my fault that I got GD since I got myself pregnant in the first place

Anyway, any inputs from you mamas who has done this pinprick tests will be useful. I'm really trying to avoid having to take medications or insulin for the rest of my pregnancy. Plus the OB is kind of hinting to me that I should look to gain more weight as I have not gained as much as she would have liked.

Thanks.

[staceyroo77]

Hmmm, not sure why 2 hrs after a meal started. Most GD mama's check one hr after the end of a meal, not after the start of a meal. I check 1 hr after I've completed a meal, and have a snack/meal 2 hrs after the start of the previous snack/meal. You're blood sugars should be under 120 one hr after a meal was completed.

[newtodiaper78]

Actually, my doc's and dietitian guidelines are 2 hours after meal. And the numbers they gave me are for it to be under 120 for 2 hours, and 140 for 1 hour. So far, there's no need to check for blood sugar after snacks, which I'm happy about.

I just think that there's something odd with the guideline of checking 2 hours from the start of the meal. It would make more sense to check it after you ended the meal.

[NikkiGig]

I was told to test one hour after the end of a meal.

[ds1997]

I am not sure but was wondering how bad did you fail the 3 hour glucose challenge? Were your numbers way above acceptable or were you borderline? So sorry that you are going through this!!

[newtodiaper78]

All I know was that my fasting numbers and my 3 hours numbers were ok. Not too clear on the 1 and 2 hour numbers. The nurse did tell me but I kind of forgot it. I know that one of them was high and the other was borderline but they still consider that I failed 2 of the 4 numbers, which automatically diagnose me with GD.

Originally Posted by ds1997 I am not sure but was wondering how bad did you fail the 3 hour glucose challenge? Were your numbers way above acceptable or were you borderline? So sorry that you are going through this!!

[MinkaK]

I test 2 hours after I finish eating. But they do not want me to dawdled through it, just eat and be done ( which gets hard towards the end of pregnancy when a couple bites makes you full then hungry again 10 mins later). I know how unfair it seems This is my third pregnancy with GD, I eat very healthy and exercise for at least an hour everyday. What my OB thinks is that I may be diabetic all the time but that I have controlled it with my diet and exercise ( I test when not pregnant and my numbers are always excellent). It is just the strain of pregnancy on my body that I cannot keep it under control.

[MamaWillow]

Sounds like every doctor has a different parameter...I am supposed to test one hour after the start of the meal. I generally eat my protein first, then the carb, so I tend to test at an hour and fifteen minutes or around there. OP, since you are supposed to test at 2 hours, try a little experiment and see what your numbers are when you time it from the start of your meal vs. the end of your meal. It may be interesting to see the difference, or there may be no difference at all. Since you have trouble with the poking, try it on a different day but at the same meal (time of day can really effect what your number is).

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this....it is a pain in the butt, I won't lie. But it's not your fault! That dietician is a jerk. The dieticians I've been working with have repeatedly told me it's the hormones of pregnancy that cause GD, sometimes it doesn't matter how well we eat or how much we exercise.

[newtodiaper78]

Well, my numbers are better if I test 2 hours after the meal ended. The reason is because there's more time for the food to digest. If you test 2 hours once you start your meal, and you take 15 mins (or more) to eat, your numbers will probably be higher (less processing time).

The dietitian definitely need some lessons in sensitivity. Luckily, I don't have to see him again (I hope). I just have to fax in my numbers. That's why I'm trying to keep it in check.

[5littlesweeties]

I am supposed to check 1 hour after the start of a meal, sometimes if it was a slow meal I'll wait about 15 minutes extra. I would do it 2 hours after the start. They need to see if your numbers are higher, even though you don't want to have to be on medication if you are having high sugars, your baby is getting the affects of your high sugars so you should be as honest as possible with your results.