What it means
The usual first step in screening for gestational diabetesjes-TAY-shun-ul dy-uh-BEE-teezHigh blood sugar that first develops during pregnancy in a person who did not have diabetes before.gestat carrying a pregnancy-al relating toFull entry , most often at 24 to 28 weeks. The client drinks 50 grams of glucose, without needing to fast, and blood is drawn 1 hour later. A result at or above the cutoff does not diagnose diabetes; it leads to a longer, fasting 3-hour oral glucose tolerance test.
For the nurse
Teach the client to drink the whole drink within about 5 minutes and stay in the clinic, without eating or smoking, until the blood draw.
At a glance
| Normal range | Less than 140 mg/dL [7.8 mmol/L] at 1 hour; some programs use 130 or 135 mg/dL. |
|---|---|
| Also written | 1-hour glucose challenge test, one-hour glucose test, GCT |
Related terms
blood glucose
The amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood at the time it is measured.
gestational diabetes
High blood sugar that first develops during pregnancy in a person who did not have diabetes before.