Diabetes Testing

If you are 45 years old or older, you should be tested for diabetes. If your test result is normal, you should then be tested every three years. People under age 45 should be tested if they are at high risk for diabetes.

It is now recommended that pregnant women who are at low risk for gestational diabetes do not need to be tested. This low-risk group includes women who meet all of the following criteria: are younger than 25 years old, are at normal body weight, without a family history of diabetes, and not members of a high-risk ethnic group. Other women should be tested for diabetes during the 24^th to 28^th weeks of pregnancy. You will be asked to drink a glucose drink and have a blood test one hour later. If your blood glucose value is 140 mg/dL or greater, your health care provider will most likely want to do more tests before diagnosing you with diabetes.