Screening & diagnosis for gestational diabetes

Early diagnosis and management

Gestational diabetes puts you at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

If you received a diagnosis of gestational diabetes while pregnant, you should be tested (screened) for type 2 diabetes:

• six weeks to six months after giving birth (with a glucose tolerance test)
• when you are planning another pregnancy
• every three years (or more often depending on risk factors

It's important to know if you have type 2 diabetes. Undiagnosed or untreated diabetes during pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarrying or having a baby born with a malformation. Learning how to manage type 2 diabetes at an early stage can also prevent or delay future complications like heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.

Early diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes is crucial for the health of you and your baby.

The glucose tolerance test

This test is used to determine your body's response to sugar (glucose). A glucose tolerance test is used to screen for type 2 diabetes, and very often, it is used to diagnose gestational diabetes. In general, your doctor will likely ask that you take a screening test during your second trimester - between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

• Be sure to ask your health care providers who will arrange your test and who will share the results with you.

• Fast (i.e. do not eat or drink) for eight hours before the test. After the lab takes a blood sample, you will be given a sugary drink. Two hours later, you will have another blood test.

NOTE: If your results are abnormal, arrange to discuss this further with your health care provider. If your results are normal, you will need to be tested before planning another pregnancy, every three years, or more often, depending on risk factors.