When screening pregnant women for gestational diabetes, casual blood glucose testing misses 70% of the cases. This Kobe University study should encourage obstetricians to depend on more reliable tests to help prevent pregnancy complications and the development of type II diabetes in mothers and children. Gestational diabetes mellitus is a condition where previously healthy women exhibit high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
If treated, most women deliver healthy babies, but if left unmanaged, this can lead to pregnancy complications, babies growing larger than usual, and increased risk of developing type II diabetes later for both the mother and the child. Therefore, the International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups recommends that all women who have not been diagnosed with diabetes previously undergo a so-called oral glucose tolerance test between weeks 24 and 28. This multi-step procedure requires women to fast for 8-12 hours before a baseline blood sample is taken, then they drink a solution containing a standardized amount of glucose, and after a set amount of time another blood sample is taken to see how well the body metabolizes the sugar.
However, a large fraction of health facilities use a much simpler "casual" blood glucose test for which blood is taken and analyzed for glucose levels only once and at any time without consideration to what or when the women have eaten before, making this both cheaper and quicker. Only if women test positive.