gestational diabetes diet

What constitutes medically significant hypoglycemia?
Medically significant hypoglycemia is diagnosed on the basis of only three findings (Whipple's triad): (a) blood glucose level of less than 50 mg/dL; (b) the
P.118presence of symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia; and (c) the resolution of symptoms after the ingestion of carbohydrates. The lower limit of normal for glucose is 70 mg/dL, but this is the lower limit for “healthy” people after a 12-hour fast. During a 72-hour fast, up to 40% of “healthy” women may have blood glucose values below 45 mg/dL and some as low as between 20 and 30 mg/dL. These low values may also be seen in apparently healthy women 3 to 4 hours after the administration of 75 g of glucose orally (the oral glucose tolerance test), but almost none have symptoms of hypoglycemia and, therefore, medically significant hypoglycemia. Conversely, many people who exhibit symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia 3 to 4 hours after eating, which respond to the ingestion of carbohydrate, also do not have true hypoglycemia. The blood glucose levels in these individuals are rarely less than 50 mg/dL at the time they experience symptoms. These people have a condition that has been called postprandial syndrome or functional hypoglycemia.