What is the GDM (gestational diabetes) test done in India?
In short
- The GDM test checks whether pregnancy has raised your blood sugar (glucose) too high.
- In India's public antenatal care, you drink a 75g glucose solution and have your blood sugar checked 2 hours later — you don't need to fast beforehand.
- A 2-hour reading of 140 mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre) or higher is used as the cut-off for gestational diabetes.
- Your doctor will explain your result and, if it's high, what it means for your care.
What happens
- You're given 75g of glucose dissolved in about 300ml of water to drink, whether or not you've eaten and whatever time you last ate.
- You drink it within 5 to 10 minutes.
- Your blood sugar is checked once, 2 hours after you finish drinking it.
- This is usually done at your antenatal visit, including at Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) sites, India's free monthly antenatal check-up days.
The details: numbers and where they differ
In the source's own words
Single step testing using 75 gm oral glucose & measuring blood sugar 2 hours after ingestion. 75 gm glucose is to be given orally after dissolving in approximately 300 ml water whether the pregnant women comes in fasting or non-fasting state, irrespective of the last meal. The intake of the solution has to be completed within 5-10 minutes. ... The threshold blood sugar level of ≥140 mg/dL (more than or equal to 140) is taken as cut off for diagnosis of GDM.
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India (National Health Mission), Diagnosis & Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus — Technical and Operational Guidelines (2018). Quoted verbatim.
OGTT of all pregnant women should be done at Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) sites as per protocol.
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India (National Health Mission), Diagnosis & Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus — Technical and Operational Guidelines (2018). Quoted verbatim.
The numbers
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 75g OGTT, 2-hour blood sugar (India's single-step test) (pregnant women, any trimester, fasting or non-fasting, India) | ≥140 mg/dL | Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India (National Health Mission) |
When to call your doctor
- If your 2-hour result is 140 mg/dL or higher and you haven't been given a follow-up plan.
- If you feel very thirsty, need to urinate much more than usual, or feel unusually tired between visits.
Discuss your results with your doctor: this page reports what these sources say, not advice for your situation.
Sources
- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India (National Health Mission), Diagnosis & Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus — Technical and Operational Guidelines (2018), 2018. Quoted verbatim. © Govt of India; page 4 grants free reproduction/quotation with attribution.
- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt of India (National Health Mission), Diagnosis & Management of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus — Technical and Operational Guidelines (2018), 2018. Quoted verbatim. © Govt of India; page 4 grants free reproduction/quotation with attribution.
Sources checked 2026-09-26. How we source and check every page.
Educational summary of named sources, not medical advice.