Should you need urgent health advice please contact your GP or call NHS 111. In an emergency please visit A&E or call 999

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Having a Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) in pregnancy

At your first pregnancy booking appointment, your community midwife will ask some questions to find out if you have a higher risk of getting diabetes in pregnancy (gestational diabetes).

If you have one or more ‘risk factors’, you will be offered a screening test called an ‘oral glucose tolerance test’. This takes around 2 hours. It involves a fasting blood test in the morning followed by a glucose drink. Fasting means you should not eat or drink before the blood test. After 2 hours of resting, you will have a second blood test. This will see how your body responds to glucose.

This test is usually completed between 24 to 28 weeks gestation. It can be done earlier, soon after your booking appointment, if for example you have had diabetes before. In this case, the test would be done again at 24 to 28 weeks if the first test was normal. Depending on where you live, the GTT may take place at hospital, in a children’s (Sure Start) centre or at your doctor’s surgery. Your midwife will discuss this with you and will book this for you if recommended.

Click here to find out more about diabetes in pregnancy.

ChatHealth Logo

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust runs a confidential secure text messaging service for parents of children aged 0-19 years called Chat Health. The service operates Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, excluding bank holidays. All texts will be responded to by a public health nurse (health visitor/school nurse) within 24 hours. Outside of the service working hours, you’ll receive a message back to inform you that your text will be responded to once the line reopens.

Healthy Together Logo

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust runs the Healthy Together Helpline for parents and carers in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The Helpline’s qualified health and administrative professionals offer easy to access, safe and free advice, support and signposting. Calls are answered from 9am – 4.30pm on weekdays, excluding bank holidays. Calls are charged at the same rate as calling a standard landline number.

Should you require urgent health advice in the meantime, please contact your GP, visit an NHS walk-in centre or call NHS 111. For emergencies, dial 999 or visit A&E.

Page last reviewed: 09-08-2024

Next review due: 09-08-2027