Glucose Challenge Test In Kolkata

The glucose challenge test is done to check for gestational diabetes. When a woman is pregnant, her body might not produce enough insulin to keep the normal levels of glucose in the blood. This leads to the condition known as gestational diabetes. Women who suffer from gestational diabetes are often at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Gestational diabetes usually does not have any obvious symptoms except women who have this condition might feel more thirsty or might urinate more often. While this type of diabetes is not very uncommon, there is no specific way to determine who might have this. That said, women who are obese and have become pregnant are often told to get the glucose challenge test done during the second trimester or during the 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.

Often genetics play a factor in determining if a person is at risk of becoming diabetic. Obesity or disorders of the pancreas can also lead to the person being at risk of having diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes. When such women become pregnant, they are often requested to get the glucose challenge test done early on in pregnancy.

While the majority of the population can deliver healthy babies even with gestational diabetes, the mother and baby are at a risk due to diabetes-induced high blood pressure. This can lead to preeclampsia. Sometimes, babies are born overweight and that affects the delivery procedure.

Once the mother is reported to have gestational diabetes, she is asked to maintain a lifestyle that balances eating food on time and going on walks. The mother should also monitor her diabetic levels. If the gestational diabetes is stemmed early on, the mother will not be at risk of getting type 2 diabetes in future.