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Q. To avoid diabetes during pregnancy, what diet should have to follow?

Answered by
Dr. Sameer Kumar
and medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team.
This is a premium question & answer published on Jul 03, 2018 and last reviewed on: Oct 09, 2018

Hello doctor,

I am 26 weeks pregnant. This weekend I had my glucose tolerance test (3 hours) and on which I failed badly.

My fasting numbers were 172, 325 and 318. I know they are bad, but my doctor never told me to follow a strict diet of three to five days prior to the test.

In my pregnancy, I have been craving for a lot of sweet things, so kept having them. Iced tea, cold drinks, juice, ice cream; anything sweet you can think of.

This is the reason that caused such a high levels of sugar in my blood.

To confirm that I have gestation diabetes I am going to repeat my test and I have been following the required diet before the test.

What do you recommend me? Should I repeat the test? Can the numbers be lower next time?

Should I take high carb diet and avoid all the sugary stuff for test? Please suggest. I am extremely worried. Thank you.

#

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You are suffering from gestational diabetes mellitus without any doubt.

As per IADPSG criteria (International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group) and DIPSI criteria (The Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Group India) both makes you overt diabetic.

These levels demand for a strict diet control. If the repeat OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test) also shows similar values, then you would have to be started on human Insulin for controlling your sugar levels.

  • Ideally 8-12 hours of fasting which is overnight fasting is required before the OGTT and that I believe was followed. So, I really do not think there would be a change in values.
  • Please stop all sugar foods with immediate effect and along with the profile get the HbA1C test also done. This shall show the control of sugar in last three months.
  • Gestational diabetes makes you a high risk pregnancy and can cause cardiac defects in pregnancy, so it is important to learn as to since when you have been diabetic during pregnancy.

Revert back with the reports to an obstetrician and gynaecologist online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/obstetrician-and-gynaecologist

Thank you doctor,

My doctor did not tell me to do any fasting overnight. So I did not do fasting. But, I have not had anything sweet.

Do you recommend a low carb diet or high carb diet before I repeat the test?

I also have a history of diabetes in my family.

#

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You have to be on a low carb diet for sure and avoid any sweets whatsoever completely till the test and your OGTT repeat results would be important to decide your further management in pregnancy.

A family history of diabetes makes you more susceptible. Ideally, OGTT in your case should be done earlier at 8-9 weeks as well to catch the GDM earlier.

You have to be really careful with your diet. I shall send you all the details as how to eat and what to eat. We can fix the need of Insulin with the result.

Please get HbA1C levels also done in the laboratory; they have to be less than 6.5% ideally.

The target values are fasting 92, 1 hour 180, 2 hour 153. If any value occurs more than these levels, then you are labeled as GDM.

Revert back with the report to an obstetrician and gynaecologist online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/obstetrician-and-gynaecologist

Thank you doctor,

Can you recommend what shall I have in low carb diet?

Please give likely a meal plan. Also, my sugar levels were normal at the beginning of my pregnancy.

So, I believe it started somewhere around or after week 20.

#

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

  • For a gestational diabetes case, you should be following medical neutron therapy. It is nothing, but simply divide your three major meals into six meals.
  • Breakfast: 7 AM - two third of your breakfast and 10 AM - one third of same breakfast remaining in the plate. Lunch: 1 PM - two third of your lunch and 4 PM - remaining one third. Dinner: 7 PM - two third of dinner and 10 PM - remaining one third. Sleep for 8 hours.

For further information consult an obstetrician and gynaecologist online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/obstetrician-and-gynaecologist

Thank you very much doctor. I will follow your advice.

#

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I would like to review with your fresh OGTT reports. Please revert back with the reports.

Revert back with your reports to an obstetrician and gynaecologist online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/obstetrician-and-gynaecologist

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