Do I have to do anything special before the glucose screening?

Answer 1

As you probably figured out by reading everyone's responses, there are several different glucose tests. The two most common are the one hour non-fasting glucose (Glucose Screening) and the three hour fasting glucose (Glucose Tolerance Test).

I would call the lab or your doctor's office to get clarification on which test you are having, unless the timeframe gives it away. Typically for the Glucose Screening, you can eat and drink normally although sometimes they ask you to not have anything for a specific number of hours before the test. Again, I would call the lab for instructions.

For the Glucose Tolerance, you do need to fast and sometimes have to follow a specific diet for a few days before the test.

If you are simply have the Glucose Screening, I would be sure not to have pancakes with syrup or a big ice cream cone before the test. Having a lot of sugar in your bloodstream already can skew the results (hence some labs' request to not eat or drink anything for a few hours prior).

Here's a link with more information.

http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/prenatalhealth/1483.html

Answer 2

Did they give you Glucola to drink? I know with me there was a cut off time for food, after that I could only drink water. You'll need to take the Glucola an hour before your test. Then when you come in they will simply draw some blood from your arm and that'll be it. As far as contractions go they feel like menstrual cramps, only about a thousand times worse! Some women also claim to get bouts of diarrhea before labor, and sometimes nausea. Of course it's going to vary from woman to woman on what your labor pains are and how bad they are. There is no set time you have to "start worrying", you'll pretty much know when it's happening. It could be 36 weeks, it could be 42. It all comes down to when your baby is ready to come and meet you. :)

Answer 3

I don't know why some people are fasting, it seems to me like fasting while you are pregnant is not healthy, safe or smart. Anyways, with my last pregnancy, and this one also, I have been instructed to eat normally before the test. When I go into the lab, I have to drink a sweet drink that tastes like lime soda, wait a half hour (or an hour, can't exactly remember) and then have my blood drawn. Then I can go on with my day.

Answer 4

I had to Fast for the glucose screening I had when I was pregnant. Not sure if this is the same test or not!

Answer 5

Do NOT eat anything if your appointment is early in the day. If it is later in the day and they give you the okay to eat, make sure it's something with NO sugar in it. My appointment wasn't until 3 pm so they gave me the okay to eat a light diet that day. Well, idiot that I am, I ate a yogurt which is LOADED with sugar and failed my glucose test by a whopping two points and had to do the extensive one at the hospital. Which was NOT fun. I got really sick and almost passed out. Needless to say I passed that one, but if you can avoid the longer, more intrusive test, do it. Drink lots of water, and avoid sugary and high carb foods.

Answer 6

When I had mine during my last pregnancy, the lab told me I needed to fast the night before. With this pregnancy, I'm scheduled to have my glucose test at my doctors office at my next prenatal appointment. My OB told me to eat whatever I would normally have for breakfast. My appointment is first thing in the morning. I would check with whomever is doing the test to see what they prefer. Good luck.

Answer 7

yeah don't eat. You don't want to fail the test. You should schedule the test first thing in the morning, so you don't have to wait so long to eat. You are going to have to drink some stuff that taste like flat orange pop. It does not taste bad. Most people say that it is nasty. My 2nd pregnancy I got sick, because I guess the baby got a sugar high and he was bouncing all over the place and made me sick

Answer 8

My first pregnancy I was told to go to the lab whenever so I didn't have to fast and the drink was awful it tasted like orange soda but 10 times sweeter. My 2nd pregnancy I had to go early in the morning in the fasting state and the drink wasn't too bad it tasted like sprite. I agree with the other ladies just call and ask what the dr. prefers for you to do.

Answer 9

Yes, but it's easy. They told me not to fast. Just eat or drink as you normally would on any given day. Don't eat or drink anything unusual such as donuts or juice if you don't normally do so. Also, the drink they gave me didn't taste too bad. It tasted like fruit punch! Afterwards my baby was going nuts, but it was fun to watch her move like crazy for about an hour.

Answer 10

The answers you're getting here are meaningless without knowing whether you're talking about the one-hour test or the three-hour test. The parameters are very different. Generally, no fasting before the one-hour test, and yes, fasting...nothing to eat after midnight or thereabouts...before the three-hour test.