Sometimes an A1c test can be done with blood from a finger stick.Ī home blood glucose test measures the level of blood glucose only at that moment. This test can be done with a blood draw from a vein. Most doctors think checking an A1c level is the best way to check how well a treatment plan is working. The A1c test checks the long-term control of blood glucose levels in people with diabetes. People who have diabetes or other conditions that increase their blood glucose levels have more glycohemoglobin (sugar bound to hemoglobin) than normal.Īn A1c test can be used to diagnose prediabetes or diabetes. Alternatively, a two-step method using a 50 gram glucose challenge test followed by a 3-hour 100 gram oral glucose tolerance test is endorsed by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.A glycohemoglobin test, or hemoglobin A1c, is a blood test that checks the amount of sugar (glucose) bound to the hemoglobin in the red blood cells. “A one step 75 gram 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test, endorsed by the American Diabetes Association and the Endocrine Society, is one method. In addition, all pregnant women should undergo screening for gestational diabetes routinely at 24 to 28 weeks, says Dr. “This study supports the use of an A1c test in the first trimester and ideally with the first prenatal visit as one possible screen for pregnant women,” says Dr. Given that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing, the A1c test done as early as possible could identify women at high risk and improve pregnancy outcomes. Adopting lifestyle changes – such as healthy eating and exercise – is good for both moms-to-be and their babies. Properly diagnosing expecting mothers early on will allow doctors to recommend changes to help women keep their blood sugar at safe levels. This study also found that an early pregnancy A1c of 5.9 percent to 6.4 percent was associated with a greater risk of worse pregnancy outcomes, including birth defects, preeclampsia and perinatal death. Mothers who have pre-existing diabetes, either type 2 or type 1, during pregnancy face an increased risk of complications. The 6.5 percent threshold would have missed almost half of these women and is therefore too high for screening purposes, the study authors conclude. This is an important finding because 5.9 percent is considerably lower than the value of 6.5 percent currently used to diagnose patients with type 2 diabetes who are not pregnant, she adds. “In addition, even if women did not have a preexisting diabetes, the A1c cutoff point of 5.9 was able identify a population of women at greater risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes, including some women with gestational diabetes.” The study found that the hemoglobin A1c test was able to identify all the women with pre-existing type 2 diabetes when an A1c cutoff point of 5.9 percent was used, says Dr. An A1c between 5.7 and 6.4 is considered pre-diabetic.

Considered the standard diagnostic method, the American Diabetes Association uses the A1c target of 6.5 percent for diagnosing type 2 diabetes in those who are not pregnant. The A1c test measures the average blood sugar levels over a longer period of time, showing whether your blood sugar is staying under control for up to three months. The test was performed on more than 16,000 pregnant women and compared with the results of a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), which is performed after an overnight fast, and is the gold standard diagnostic test for type 2 diabetes. In this study, researchers examined the use of an A1c measurement done during the first trimester as a screening tool for pre-existing diabetes. The hemoglobin A1c done early in pregnancy may be a convenient and effective way to identify women with pre-existing type 2 diabetes or who are at greater risk of worse pregnancy outcomes.

Lower bound hgb a1c normal range