Blood Glucose Goals for Diabetic Mommies

A common topic in my forum and chats are blood glucose or blood sugar goals. Many mommies are confused because they hear different goals from different members of their healthcare team or they run into another mom who has different targets. One reason for this is that different types of doctors follow different recommendations or study findings. For instance, your OB may recommend the goals put forth by the American Diabetes Association, while your endocrinologist recommends those of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Another reason for the difference is that you are a unique individual who will require a specific regimen tailored to your own personal needs. Your team is taking other things into consideration such as your risk for hypoglycemia, your age, other medical conditions, etc. Don't be afraid to ask why you have been given your goals. I've even heard of some doctors having different goals depending on the type of diabetes you have.

On the tables below I use the terms: whole blood, plasma, mg/dL, and mmol/L. I have put an explanation of these terms on the bottom of the page.

Blood Glucose Goals for Diabetic Mommies IN PREGNANCY

These are general numbers, individual goals may vary.
Follow the recommendations of your healthcare team.

Whole blood glucose levels obtained from 101 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy which adapted information from Medical Management of Pregnancy Complicated by Diabetes, 3rd Edition, both American Diabetes Association publications - except for the 2-hr post meal number, which was obtained from the International Diabetes Center article Goals During Pregnancy. Numbers for mmol/L calculated using the About Network's online blood glucose measurement conversion page, which uses the following conversion formulas:

1 mmol/L = 18 mg/dL
plasma = whole blood x 1.12

Blood Glucose Goals for Diabetic Mommies who are NOT PREGNANT

These are general numbers, individual goals may vary.
Follow the recommendations of your healthcare team.

The mg/dL numbers obtained from Diabetes Self Management, Blood Glucose Goals Reminder, published in the July/August 2001 issue. Conversions to mmol/L were calculated using About Network's online blood glucose measurement conversion page, which uses the formulas listed above.

Here's a cute explanation of the mmol/L numbers for us Americans:

4 and below, I usually feel low.
4 to 7 is the goal.
7 to 10 try harder again
10 and above, check insulin love
and some exercise, get plenty of

Adapted from a post by lappa1

Okay, I'm going to go off on a little tangent, but I hope somebody can answer this question of mine. When I got pregnant, I was not very talented at controlling my blood glucose and glucose monitoring was not a habit. When I got pregnant I took to monitoring well, and was successful with it. I hoped to continue with tight control. However, for some reason maintaining tight control after pregnancy was extremely difficult. So, I was left with the loose goals above for moms who are not pregnant. This is not working very well for me. I would rather test often trying for the goals of nonpregnant diabetics. However, I do not know what those goals would be for fasting and after meals. I think I would do much better if I had these numbers and could test often again. I think that was the greatest help in getting into tight control and now I feel I don't have the correct information to keep doing it (with more realistic goals for myself). Do you have the answer to my question? Please send me an email via the Feedback page.

Confused about mg/dL and mmol/dL? Well, mmol/dL is the world standard for measuring blood glucose. It is the SI or Systeme
International unit. Just about every country in the world uses this measurement - except for the U.S. However, it is being used more and more in American medical journals.

Confused about whole blood and plasma? Whole blood is when you obtain a measurement from whole blood. Just like when you prick your finger and put a drop of whole blood on the strip. Plasma is when the red blood cells are removed and the glucose measurement is taken from your plasma. This is the measurement you get from the lab.

So...that means your home meter gives the whole blood measurement right? Not necessarily. Many blood glucose meters are programmed to convert your whole blood measurement to a plasma measurement. Most of the new meters are now doing this because most doctor's offices use the plasma measurement.

Neither one of these methods is better or more accurate than the other. They are just different ways to measure the same thing. Kind of like how you can express the temperature in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.

The moral of the story? Know what type of reading you are getting from your meter and whether your doctor is talking whole blood or plasma AND that he knows what kind of reading your meter is spitting out.

If your doctor is giving you different goals than the ones mentioned here, remember we are all different people and sometimes require individual treatment. Follow your health care team's recommendations. And, don't be afraid to ask why!

Diabetes and
Pregnancy:
What to
Expect
Recommended books

This is not a health care site. The editor is not a health care professional, is not qualified, and does not give medical or mental health advice.

Please consult with qualified professionals in order to find the right regimen and treatment for you. Do not make changes without consulting your health care team. .

Because this site is for all diabetics at all stages of life, some information may not be appropriate for you - remember information may be different for type 1, type 2, type 1.5, and gestational diabetics.

Articles submitted by other authors represent their own views, not necessarily the editor's.

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