Let’s face it we all hate to hear our doctor’s tell us that we need to come in for a fasting blood glucose level test. Is it because of the stuff we are required to drink or because we have to go for long periods of time without food or drink? Who knows, we just hate it.

A fasting blood glucose level test is used for many reasons such as family history and diabetes prevention. For many of us, if asked we can tell you someone in our family that we are related to who is diabetic, so by being able to monitor our fasting blood glucose level we can prevent from being diagnosed with diabetes. A fasting blood glucose level test is also performed if a patient starts having signs or symptoms related to diabetes.

A fasting blood glucose level test can be performed in several different ways such as coming into the doctor’s office first thing in the morning after you have been fasting, they will generally stick your finger, take blood or ask for a urine sample and then you may be asked to drink a bottle of basic sugar water or glucose within a certain timeframe and then have your fasting blood glucose level checked again.

Often times even during pregnancy you will be asked for a fasting blood glucose level if you fall into a certain age category, have a family history or are having signs and symptoms of diabetes. Often times when someone is having multiple births or pregnant with multiples such as twins or triplets they may be tested for fasting blood glucose level. By being able to test for diabetes during pregnancy the baby can be prevented as well from possibly having gestational diabetes later on after birth. If a woman is diagnosed as having diabetes during pregnancy she can take the precautionary measures in preventing from later having full blown diabetes.