Failed My One-hour Glucose Test... Now What?

I failed the one hour test and then failed the three hour test. It meant that I had gestational diabetes. I had to test my blood sugars four times a day,had to follow a strict diet given to me by the nutritionist. I found out when I was 23-24 weeks along. I also lost weight and was very active during my pregnancy. I had a good delivery and my son was 7lbs 5 ounces.
If you have gestational diabetes do what the doctor says and everything will be alright. Be aware if you have the gestational diabetes then you are at risk to develop it later in life. Good luck

1 mom found this helpful

E.~

You've gotten great answers and they're right on target. I had gestational diabetes with both pregnancies but was able to control it with change in diet. I was 36 with my first successful pregnancy and 40 with the second.

One thing that I haven't seen in any of the answers is that IF you are diagnosed with gestational diabetes, your chances of developing Type 2 increase by 25% each time you're diagnosed.

My chances are 50% because of my gestational diabetes. Heredity also enters into it. My Dad and uncle are type 2 diabetic. My Dad has controlled his with diet modification and exercise for over 25 years. My uncle on the other hand wouldn't change his diet (which is very poor) and is on insulin.

I take my glucose levels on a regular basis and so far have been able to keep mine lowered with diet and exercise. I'm not trying to discourage you, in my opinion, knowledge is power. I don't ever want my sugar levels to get out of whack without my knowledge. By taking it frequently, I feel like I'm staying on top of it.

The nutritionist I used advocated making sure if I had fruit to balance it with a protein. Like the others have stated, you will be sent to a nutritionist and will have to keep up with your levels. It's not hard and it's a very healthy way to eat even after the baby is born. After both my babies, my blood sugar returned to normal as well.

Blessings to you!
L.

That happened to me too on my fifth pregnancy! Then I went to do the 3 hour test and everything was fine. Don't worry and do take the extra iron. That happened to me too in most of my pregnancies (6). It does help out a lot. As far as the back pain, that happened to me too on my 3rd and 4th pregnancies. The belt helped out immensely! I couldn't even get up from sitting down because of the pain and my leg at the hip not wanting to move. Once I got the belt I was fine. At 8 months of pregnancy I didn't need it anymore for some reason. It may have to do with your pelvic bones moving and the position of the baby. Congrats and do not worry! It's all normal. Best wishes and God bless!

Like some of the other moms, I failed the one hour with both my girls and passed the three hour both times. The three hour is sort of miserable though so start preparing yourself for that. It is a LOT of sugar to have on your stomach and I had problems not throwing up when I did it with baby number 1. I just kept telling myself I'd have to start all over if I did!

I failed the one hour and passed the three hour with two of my three pregnancies. Chances are that you'll pass the three hour test too, so try not to worry too much! (Though if you're like me, that's hard!) I don't have any advice on what happens if you fail the three hour test, but at least whatever modifications you have to make will only be through one trimester.

Good luck to you!

With my daughter I passed the one hour, then with my son I failed and had to do the three hour. I passed the three hour and everything was fine.

Tons of people fail the 1 hour and pass the 3 hour so don't worry about it to much yet :)

Good luck!

Take it one step at a time. Take the 3 hours test. If you pass, no worries. If you fail, you'll need to make some adjustments to your diet. If you'd like more info. just search "gestational diabetes" on this site. There have been many quetions in the past along with some great answers.

I failed the one hour test with my first and then proceeded to fail the 3 hr one. With my subsequent pregnancies they skipped straight to the 3 hr test and earlier in the pregnancy. I passed with my 2nd and my 3rd pregnancies but when I was in labor with my 3rd the nurse said there was no way I wasn't diabetic with since my numbers were so high during labor. Who knows. With my 2nd and 3rd even though I passed I still tried to eat the healthy low carb, low sugar, high protein diet just to be safe (couldn't hurt, right?) Now with my fourth I once again failed the 3hr test.
If you do fail and have gestational diabetes then you will be referred to a specialist and a nutritionist. I was able to keep my blood sugar in check with diet and exercise with my first, but with my fourth nothing I did worked (very frustrating because I did everything I could) and I ended up on insulin. Typically the diabetes goes away after delivery but your chances of having it later in life are increased. There are some extra precautions that will be taken such as stress tests, and you typically won't be allowed to go past your due date since gd can cause bigger babies. All four of mine came out healthy and fine but you do have to follow all of your practitioners directions since it directly affects your little bun in the oven. It's not so bad, just annoying having to poke your finger four times a day and not being able to eat whatever you want (I'm a brat when I don't get what I want to eat!) But in the end all that matters is that you are healthy and have a beautiful healthy baby! Best wishes!

I failed the 1hr, passed the 3hr. If you fail the 3hr, then you take a class on how to control your gestational diabetes. My mom had GD with all 5 of us, it's really not all that big of a deal as long as you keep a close eye on your diet. :)

I can't answer the glucose test, but just as an FYI, the iron they put you on will help with the exhaustion. I was severely anemic with my first pregnancy and felt like I had to sleep all the time (at age 32). With my 2nd pregnancy, based on experience, they put me on extra iron from day 1 and I felt SO much better through the whole pregnancy (age 37).

Good luck,
L.

I personally haven't dealt with this, but my SIL 'failed' both her 1 hour and 3 hour glucose tests with her 3rd and 4th babies. Basically they just changed her diet pretty drastically. Also she had more frequent appointments than normal to check her blood pressure and some other levels via bloodwork. Otherwise her babies were both born perfectly healthy and are healthy toddlers now!

On my last two pregnacies, I failed the one hour, but passed the 3 hour. If you fail the 3 hour, you are considered to have gestational diabetes, and have to watch your diet.

I took the one hour test immediately after I found out I was pregnant because I have pcos and failed. Because my number wad over 200 they out me on insulin immediately. Unthinkable it depends on the number.
My doctor now us also checking my hemoglobin a 1 c levels as well as they are high

Yes - take the 3-hour. I had to do it for both my pregnancies. The first pregnancy I failed the 3-hour and had to modify my diet. The second pregnancy I passed the 3-hour, thankfully.

Been there with my second when I was 34. I had to do the test several times because I kept throwing up. I just can't drink that much sugar in 10 mins! My test was borderline but I was sent to a great nutritionist and still have great recipes from her. I couldn't stand to look at raw meat my whole pregnancy and was consequently also anemic. That was the worst for me. I ended up delivering 10 days early. I lost a lot of weight afterwards and I suspect my blood sugars stayed up for a while but I will never know due to an incompetent gyno. And me not insisting he take care of me. Ask lots of questions and insist on good care! My son was fine and now I am 50 and check my A1C every year. That will tell you how your sugar is doing over the long haul. I try to exercise more and eat better than I did in my 30s but I am very aware of my need to be extra careful. Good luck!

You're following in the footsteps of my wife who eventually did have gestational diabetes. I recommend that you follow through with the three-hour test for the sake of your baby. This is serious but fairly common and you too can deal with it. Upon diagnosis, you'll have to do what diabetics do: eat right, monitor your blood glucose, take a pill, and get more frequent sonograms. After our child was born, the diabetes went away.

I also failed my one hour and had to do the three hour. However, I passed the three hour and everything was fine. My doc told me that lots of people will fail the one hour and then pass the three hour. So, don't stress or worry about it until you find out for sure if there is something to worry about. A good friend of mine failed the three hour and had to do the special diet, but it was totally fine - a little bit of extra work in figuring out your diet, but totally do-able. But, again, don't worry about it yet!

I failed my one hour but passed my three hour. If you do fail the three hour it means you have gestational diabetes and will have to monitor your diet more closely and possibly take medication. Don't stress until the results come back from the three-hour, and at that point your doctor will talk with you about what to do next.

I failed the 1 hour test with both of my pregnancies. I took the 3 hour test and passed both times. Don't stess yet!

Hi E.,
I was in the same situation like you are in right now. At 28 weeks of my pregnancy I took the 1 hour glucose test and failed. My doc sent me for the 3 hour test and i failed that one too. I was diagnosed having gestational diabetes, and was sent to a nutrition expert to advise me on diet. She put me on a low carb diet and gave me a blood glucose monitor to record my blood sugar levels fasting, after breakfast, after lunch, and after dinner. I kept a log for all the reading through the day. And my diet was restricted to 1500 calories per day. It was a low carb, high protein diet. It was hard for me since i'm a vegetarian :(
At 33 weeks, my doc tells me that she wants to see lower after dinner levels.It was in the 140s after 2 hours. So she put me on insulin shots that I did everyday before breakfast and before dinner. That brought down my sugar levels in 110s range.
i had to continue monitoring my blood sugar levels up until my baby was born. As soon as I delivered her my blood sugar automatically went back to normal. It was like magic :)
I hope that helps.

I failed my one hour (because I ate granola-which has a lot of sugar in it). Eat eggs for Breakfast, or protein before you take the three hour.

I failed my one hour. My mom had made this delicious apple cinnamon loafs for Christmas, and I ate like three slices and had some soda on the way to the Dr's. I had no idea they were going to check my sugar, so of course I failed.
I passed my 3 hour. My Dr. told me I had to fast for it though, which for me was the hardest part. I would double check and see if you can or can't eat before the test.