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Day 183 of 280 · 26 weeks + 1 day

If the glucose result comes back high

Last reviewed · 3 min read · 8 sources · Plain-text version

Twenty-six weeks and one day. A high glucose screen leads to a longer test, not a diagnosis. Today you write down what each result would mean.

Size this week
about the size of a cucumber
Length this week
around 35.6 cm from head to heel
A woman in a soft cardigan with a clear bump on a waiting-room chair, writing on an index card on her knee, a water bottle beside her, bright daylight.

Twenty-six weeks and one day. Many people have their glucose test somewhere in these weeks, and the hard part is often the wait for the result. Today you write down, before you know anything, what each result would mean. Then a phone call can't ambush you.

Your baby

A single whole cucumber on a plain white ceramic plate, soft daylight.

Around now your baby is around 35.6cm from head to heel, about the size of a cucumber (NHS). Their eyes are opening for the first time this week, and there's a lot of movement in there (NHS).

Your body

In the Office on Women's Health schedule, the glucose challenge screen and the glucose tolerance test fall at 26 to 28 weeks (OWH). Gestational diabetes often causes no symptoms at all, which is why the test exists (CDC).

Here's how the two-step version works. First, blood is drawn 1 hour after a glucose drink; at or below 140 mg/dL is normal (MedlinePlus). If it's higher, you're offered a longer follow-up test, with fasting for 8 to 14 hours beforehand (MedlinePlus). On that follow-up, more than one high value means gestational diabetes; one high value may lead to dietary changes and a retest (MedlinePlus). And about 2 out of 3 women who take the follow-up test don't have gestational diabetes (MedlinePlus).

Try today

  1. The follow-up test facts

    Time: 5 minutes

    1. Take an index card. On the front write: "A high first result means a longer test, not a diagnosis."

    2. Underneath: "On the longer test, more than one high value means gestational diabetes. One high value may mean diet changes and a retest" (MedlinePlus).

    3. On the back write: "Most women control it with a healthy meal plan; some also need insulin" (OWH).

    4. Add one question for your provider: which test am I having, and how long do I fast first?

    5. Keep the card with your appointment letter, and read it before you open any result.

    Make it work:

    Your clinic may use the one-step test instead, a single longer appointment with fasting (MedlinePlus). The card still works; only the steps change.

Watch for

  • Normal

    peeing more often than before.

    Call your provider

    for pain when urinating or a change in the colour or smell of your urine, which may signal a bladder infection (MedlinePlus).

  • Normal

    feeling a bit warm in a heated room.

    Call your provider

    as soon as you can for fever or chills (OWH).

  • Normal

    a stitch or a twinge that passes when you change position.

    Seek care immediately

    for severe belly pain that doesn't go away (CDC).

For you

If the result does come back as gestational diabetes, the first tool most people get is not complicated. MedlinePlus says walking is usually the easiest exercise for keeping blood sugar under control, with swimming or other low-impact activity working as well (MedlinePlus). The health team helps with meal planning (MedlinePlus); you don't have to design it alone.

A high number is information for your care, not a mark against you. Write the card, put it away, and get on with your day.

If you're the partner: if the follow-up test is booked, go with her. It means a morning of fasting and waiting, and company makes the time pass. Bring the snack for afterwards.

Sources

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

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