Yesterday I finally had my long postponed OGCT or Oral Glucose Challenge Test. This test is to determine whethere a pregnant woman has gestational diabetes or diabetes during pregnancy. I hope this post would guide other mommies in their OGCT and prepare them for it 🙂
I fasted from 10.30pm the night before until I went to The Medical City and had my turn at the laboratory at 10AM the next day. I got the idea that I had to fast that many hours from this pregnancy health brochure by the Australian Government. No drinks and food allowed.
This is the glucose tolerance beverage used by Medical City.
Indeed I was already very thirsty when it was my turn, the nurse handed me this cold beverage that looked and tasted like orange Gatorade. It was very easy to gulp in less than five minutes (the required period of time). I am not sure if all hospitals would have the same delicious kinda carbonated solution but thanks to Medical City for having this. I’ve read about mommies vomiting some solutions because they thought the solution tasted icky.
The nurse told me to go back after an hour (still no food and drinks) and that I should be on time as blood must be drawn at exactly that time. Being late was not an option. Hence, I went back to the lab 10 minutes before the prescribed time and looked for the assigned nurse right away.
Blood was then drawn from my left arm (I always hand the left arm because it is easier to draw blood from here in my experience). The result would arrive after 3 hours from the blood testing but I decided to ask them to simply forward the results to my OB so I woudn’t have to stay any longer.
Now I do not know if I passed the test or not but surely my Obgyne would let me know if I need another test should I have failed the OGCT. So far, no SMS received 🙂
The OGCT costs me less than Php 500.
UPDATE: I failed the OGCT test and was asked to take the OGTT or Oral Glucose Tolerance Test. Read about it here in case you experience and have to take the same OGTT test.
