Diabetes Screen

Screening for Gestational Diabetes

 

The screening test for gestational diabetes is routinely performed between 24 and 28 weeks.  This test, also known as the glucose challenge test, is a blood test, for which there are very specific instructions.

 

You will be given a drink called a glucola in advance of your appointment. Glucola is very sweet and may be better tolerated if chilled prior to drinking. You do not need to fast before this test but we encourage you to avoid sweet or carbohydrate heavy food for the two hours before you drink the glucola.

 

Instructions:

  1. Drink the glucola 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. (At home, in the car, at work, in our waiting room are all fine)

  2. Drink the glucola within 5 minutes– not five seconds!

  3. When finished drinking the glucola, look at the time and mark it. You will need your blood drawn an hour after finishing the glucola.Setting an alarm on your phone is helpful to many.

  4. Do not eat or drink anything between drinking the glucola and having your blood drawn.

  5. Keep track of the time and let the front desk know when you need the lab to draw your blood.  If you are past the one hour mark by more than ten minutes we will ask you to repeat the entire test.

 

In addition to the glucose test, we will be drawing a hematocrit to determine whether you have anemia or not.  Tennessee law now requires that all pregnant women have a follow-up test for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) during the THIRD trimester of pregnancy. HIV transmission rates to babies are dramatically reduced with proper treatment of the mother during pregnancy. You will receive an HIV test with your glucola testing unless you refuse testing in writing.

  1. Tennessee Code Annotated Section 68-5-703: Tennessee law requires that all pregnant  women be tested again for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) during the third trimester of pregnancy unless the women had refused testing in writing and this refusal placed in the medical chart.

  2. A pregnant women who presents herself for delivery and who does not have a documented negative HIV test during the last trimester shall be tested for HIV using a rapid HIV test, unless she refuses in writing.  If she refuses testing, and when the time and circumstances are medically appropriate, she should be counseled regarding the consequences of exposing her unborn child to HIV.


We will send you your results via our patient portal as soon as they are processed.  This may take up to a week.