Ways to Monitor Sugar Levels During Pregnancy

How to Deal With It?

To help you deal with gestational diabetes, you should know about the following points:

• Average blood sugar during pregnancy

During pregnancy, average blood sugar levels can vary. Here are some general guidelines you can consider:

• Fasting stage or Pre-prandial (measured after not eating for at least 8 hours) – Typically, it should be less than 95mg/dl, or 5.3mmol/l

• Postprandial (After meal) – Should ideally be below 140mg/dl (7.8mmol/L) one hour after meal, and below 120 mg/dl (6.7 mmol/L) 2 hours after eating.

• Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1C): When pregnant, the target HbA1C level is usually below 6%. This test provides an average of your blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months.

Note: mmol/l denotes millimoles per litre; mg/dL stands for milligrams per decilitre

How to Monitor Gestational Diabetes?

Here are 5 ways to monitor your sugar levels to know if there is a change from the normal sugar level in pregnancy.

1. Finger-prick using a Glucometer

This is one of the most common ways your doctor would suggest to help monitor your blood sugar levels at regular intervals. All you need for this method is a glucometer, lancet (needle), lancet launching device, and test strips.

Use the lancet on tip of your finger to draw a drop of blood. Use the test strip to absorb this blood. Place the test strip on glucometer to show your sugar levels. This is the most popular method of monitoring blood sugar levels, as these devices are small, convenient to carry, and provide nearly accurate results.

2. Continuous glucose monitoring

If your blood sugar level is higher than the normal sugar level in pregnancy, your doctor may recommend that you opt for continuous glucose monitoring. In this method, a small sensor-like device is placed in your body (mostly in the abdomen). It is then connected to an app you can easily control on your smartphone.

This device monitors your blood sugar levels every minute. When a spike from the normal levels is noticed, it sends alarm signals on the app.

3. Free Style Libre

Referred as flash glucose monitoring, this method also makes use of a sensor that’s inserted into your body. However, it doesn’t monitor your blood sugar levels every minute, nor does it give you any alarms when fluctuations are noticed.

You can use a reader or scanner to see your blood sugar levels from the sensor. You can use this to monitor the patterns of your blood sugar levels for a few hours or so.

4. Blood Test

If your blood sugar is slightly more than the normal sugar level in pregnancy, your doctor may recommend you monitor your average blood sugar level once in three months. This is known as the HbA1c test. This method of monitoring sugar levels is done through a blood test. You must give your blood sample at a lab, and the results are available in a day or two. Check with your doctor about the frequency at which you have to repeat this test.

5. Urine Test

Sometimes, during pregnancy, your doctor may want to check your blood sugar levels in the urine to avoid complications during childbirth. In such cases, a test strip is used for detecting the sugar levels in your urine. However, this method will not work for determining the cause or provide any reading to ascertain whether your sugar levels are high or low. Also, if you haven’t passed urine for a long time, the blood sugar levels displayed may not be accurate at times.

Things To Remember

Here are some tips to follow while monitoring your gestational diabetes levels:

• Keep your fingers clean when using a glucometer.

• Always prick at the tip of a finger. It is better to choose any finger other than your thumb and index fingers.

• Follow the instructions on the device properly. Replace the lancet after a single use to avoid infections.

• After every prick, dispose of the strips safely, as they have traces of blood on them.

• For pre-prandial test, ensure you fast for 10 to 12 hours before taking the test.

• Irrespective of your blood sugar monitoring method, you will not face any side effects. However, if you feel any discomfort during or after the test, inform your doctor immediately.

• When monitoring your blood sugar levels, always make a note of the same in a journal. It is easy for you and your doctor to monitor the numbers this way.