So it’s official. I’m diagnosed with ‘Impaired Glucose Tolerance’ at this late stage of pregnancy, after 36 weeks. (corrected: I just found out that I’m not diagnosed with gestational diabetes on closer look at the results but this, IGT, which is a pre-diabetic condition associated with insulin resistance.)

The results were out on Saturday and I was informed by Dr Wong to go back to her today to do this diet monitoring. My blood sugar result was surprisingly on the higher end too confirming that I have impaired glucose tolerance straightaway.

This means my body is not able to produce enough insulin to transport the glucose in my blood into the cells and convert it to energy. This happens commonly during pregnancy because the hormones make it tougher for the body to use insulin and the pancreas have to secrete more of it. My pancreas cannot keep up with the demand to secrete more insulin, hence this resulted.

The Glucose Tolerance test went like this:
-I have to fast from 12 midnight onwards til the next morning I’m due for the test. With no food and no drink, only occasional small sips of water if really dry.
-I go early in the morning at 8:30am and have my blood drawn to be tested.
-Was given an orange, gassy, extremely sweet drink in a medium bottle and had to drink it within five minutes.
-I then stay around for 2 hours, still fasting and waiting to have my blood drawn a second time.
-I go to have my blood drawn at 10:30am.
-2 hours later, the results come out and I’m informed by the doctor through phone whether the results are positive or negative.

From today on, I have to follow a diet plan of three meals and three snacks at scheduled times of the day. I’m given a list of things to eat and to avoid or to control. For two days, I have to do self-testing using a little machine loaned from the doctor, by pricking myself on the finger with a device and testing the blood. I will be controlling my carbohydrate intake, reducing my fat intake, and increasing fibre intake.

Both of us felt a bit down as it had been an uneventful pregnancy so far. Why does things only happened now when I’m only 4 weeks away? And why does this happened to me when I’m not even gaining much weight? (I’ve only gained 10kg so far) But it had already happened so I have to try to control my diet properly from now on and try to eat more small meals.

The good thing is, usually this condition, impaired glucose tolerance or gestational diabetes goes off once I give birth though I will still need to be monitored about six weeks after delivery. The bad thing is I have the risk of having GD again in my future pregnancies or even being diabetic in the future.

For risks to the baby, other than what’s listed in my previous post, the child may also have respiratory problem or even be stillborn. That is what worries the doctor most and thus I have to be closely monitored. We are taking it easy now, thinking positive.

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