The Orange Drink aka The Glucose Tolerance Test

Most traditional OBs and midwives will administer a glucose tolerance test sometime between the 24th and 28th weeks of pregnancy. This test is used to screen how well your body tolerates sugar during pregnancy.

The most common way to test for gestational diabetes is to have you drink a sugary drink called glucola. (Protip: there are often several flavors available - orange and Sprite-like are the most common, but ask what your options are.)

Most often this drink is given to you when you arrive for your appointment and you will need to drink all of it within a 5 minute period. Your blood will be drawn exactly one hour after you finish drinking the drink. The blood will be analyzed to see how your body processed the glucola. If the blood glucose level is higher than 130 mg, your care provider will likely have you take another test on a different day.

This next screening involves fasting 8 hours before the test, getting a fasting blood glucose level, drinking the glucola, and then testing your blood 3-4 times over the period of three hours.

You might be diagnosed with gestational diabetes if your blood glucose levels are abnormal for at least half of these blood draws.

It is very common for people not to feel well after drinking the glucola. It is okay to ask to lie down in a cool, quiet room. You may feel better if you can have a cool washcloth or paper towel placed on your neck or forehead. You may wish to have someone drive you to this appointment so you don’t have to worry about driving home afterwards. Plan to eat something with protein after your appointment - this will help you feel better!

While the glucola is the most common way to screen for glucose intolerance, there are other alternatives that can be used for screening.

There is some evidence that points to eating 28 jellybeans (50 g carbs) may be similar to drinking the glucola (50 g carbs). Your provider likely has a certain brand of jelly beans they want you to consume as carb amounts can vary across brands (you may be instructed to eat a different number of jellybeans for this same reason). Some people report feeling less side effects when eating the jellybeans instead of drinking the glucola.

Another alternative to the glucola might be self-monitoring blood sugar levels at home for a few weeks (or a set amount of time requested by your provider). This requires purchasing a glucometer and testing your blood sugar levels throughout the day via finger pricks. You would need to keep accurate records to share with your OB or midwife at your next visit. You are encouraged to eat your regular diet so there is a true picture of how your body is processing the glucola with your regular food and beverage intake. This method might be a good alternative for people who don’t tolerate the glucola drink.

If you are planning on using an alternative to the glucola drink, you should plan to have a conversation about this with your care provider before your 24th week of pregnancy as many of the above alternatives require some advance planning.