What to do if you have impaired glucose tolerance after childbirth

Postpartum glucose tolerance is caused by eating too much food with high lactose content after delivery, which leads to incomplete absorption of lactose. Therefore, it is recommended that you treat the cause of postpartum glucose tolerance. For the case of postpartum glucose tolerance, you should eat less lactose foods, reduce the intake of rice, and eat more yogurt and soy milk to promote gastrointestinal digestion.

1. What to do if you have impaired glucose tolerance during pregnancy

Pregnant women with impaired glucose tolerance should appropriately control the intake of starchy foods such as rice, pasta, fruits, and sugary foods, but they should not completely stop consuming them, because sufficient calories are essential nutritional guarantees for pregnant women and fetuses. The daily calorie requirement can be calculated based on body weight: the standard weight for women is: height (cm) - 105 = standard weight (kg). Those whose body weight is 80%~120% of the standard body weight need 30kal/(kg*d), those who are 120%~150% of the standard body weight need 24kal/(kg*d), and those who are >150% need 12-15kal/(kg*d).

The calorie distribution is as follows: 10% of the calories are consumed in breakfast, 30% each in lunch and dinner, and 30% in total in regular snacks. For example: daily staple food (rice, noodles) is about 300g-350g, protein is about 75g-100g, fat is about 50g, mainly soybean oil, corn oil, rapeseed oil, and sesame oil, and less animal fats, especially lard, beef and mutton oil.

Food selection: Try to choose foods rich in high fiber, and pay attention to the supplementation of iron and calcium. This is because carbohydrates from different food sources differ in digestion, absorption, and food interactions. In addition, a mixed diet can slow down the digestion and absorption of blood sugar, thereby lowering blood sugar and helping to control blood sugar. Therefore, it is recommended to add a certain amount of coarse grains into the staple food, such as corn, millet, corn, buckwheat noodles, etc. Also be careful not to consume too much of the following foods:

1. Foods and drinks with high sugar content: such as pastries, cakes, sweet milk, honey, candied fruit, ice cream, etc.;

2. Foods that easily raise blood sugar: such as vermicelli, potato starch, sweet potato starch and its products, thick soup, vermicelli, etc.;

3. Animal fats: such as lard, butter, cream, fat, various animal skins, any fried foods, etc. Pregnant women with impaired glucose tolerance should have their blood sugar checked regularly after a certain period of dietary therapy.

2. Precautions before glucose tolerance test

1. Eat normally 3 days before the test

In the three days before the test, the carbohydrate intake (i.e. rice and pasta) should not be less than 150 grams. If the subjects deliberately reduce the amount of staple food, the test results will be inaccurate, leading to misdiagnosis.

2. Avoid strenuous exercise and keep your emotions stable

Normal physical activity should be performed 3 days before the test. However, strenuous exercise before the test can excite the sympathetic nerves and increase blood sugar. Infection, trauma, and drastic mood swings can all excite the sympathetic nerves and affect the results of glucose tolerance tests.

3. Be sure to eat on an empty stomach

When doing a glucose tolerance test, the expectant mother must fast for 8 to 14 hours to truly reflect the fasting blood sugar level. For example, if you are doing a glucose tolerance test at 8 o'clock in the morning, it is best not to eat since 10 o'clock the night before. You can drink water, but not tea or coffee. The first fasting blood sample is used to measure the sugar level in the blood, called a basal test.

4. Do not eat during the experiment

During the experiment, you are not allowed to smoke, drink water or eat. You can walk around a little, but avoid early morning exercise. In addition, expectant mothers do not need to be nervous and should not let their emotions fluctuate due to multiple blood draws. They should try their best to cooperate with medical staff in drawing blood samples each time.

5. Special circumstances

If you experience symptoms such as pale complexion, nausea, or fainting during the examination, stop the test. If the above symptoms appear 3-4 hours after taking sugar, it should be considered as reactive hypoglycemia. Blood should be drawn immediately to measure blood sugar and the patient should be allowed to eat.

This article details what to do if you have abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy, and also introduces the issues that need to be paid attention to before the glucose tolerance test during pregnancy. If you are a pregnant woman, especially if you are a pregnant woman with impaired glucose tolerance, you must pay special attention to your diet. If you are an older pregnant woman, you'd better check your glucose tolerance.