All pregnant women are screened for gestational diabetes. It’s a simple test that involves drinking a sugary drink, waiting about an hour and having your blood drawn to test your sugar levels. If test results come up abnormal, meaning elevated results, the patient will be asked to return for a second glucose tolerance test. Not all women who have abnormal test results actually have gestational diabetes. There are other factors that may affect the test results. Eating sugary foods before the test may result in a “failed test.” Usually a second test confirms normal glucose levels. Women with abnormal test results and no gestational diabetes diagnosis may not be completely off the hook however.
A new study has found a correlation between mild glucose intolerance during pregnancy and increased risk for heart disease in the future. The findings were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Doctors are already well aware of the connection between gestational diabetes and heart disease. Now it appears that women who are not diagnosed with gestational diabetes, but exhibited minor glucose intolerance during the routine testing, are also at risk.
The study followed all women in Ontario between the ages of 20 and 49 who gave birth between Apr. 1, 1994, and Mar. 31, 1998. The study then tracked these women for approximately 12 years. It was “found that referral for an oral glucose tolerance test during pregnancy, even in the absence of gestational diabetes, may be associated with increased risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease.” Women are only referred for a follow up glucose tolerance test if the first test comes up with abnormal results. Therefore, researchers concluded that those women with abnormal test results were at increased risk. Women with the abnormal test results are at a higher risk than the general population, but at a lower risk than women with diagnosed gestational diabetes.