Managing Your Menopause Type^® Educational Class

Session Three - Your Risks of Disease

INSULIN RESISTANCE & DIABETES

How Can I be Tested for Dysglycemia or Insulin Resistance?

There are two laboratory tests that can be used to give you accurate and concise information about dysglycemia and insulin resistance. These are professional medical tests, which you can ask your physician to order.

Metabolic Dysglycemia Profile

Great Smokies Diagnostic Laboratory offers the Metabolic Dysglycemia Profile for the diagnosis and management of diabetes, Syndrome X, dysglycemia, and the hormonal consequences of these conditions.

Because the metabolic changes leading to diabetes can often be identified 10 or more years before diabetes is clinically evident, information regarding insulin resistance is of critical importance for prevention of increased cardiac risk, greater mortality from hypertension, and related hormonal abnormalities.

THIS TEST INCLUDES:

Fasting and 2-hour post-challenge glucose and insulin levels: This permits the diagnostic evaluation diabetes mellitus or insulin resistance.

Hemoglobin A1c and fructosamine: These are important markers of long- and short-term blood sugar control.

Hormonal balance: Imbalances of DHEA, cortisol, and IGF-1 are contributing factors in the cluster of conditions caused by metabolic dysglycemia

Glucose/Insulin Tolerance Test

There is increasing evidence that impaired glucose regulation and its concomitant dysinsulinemia are pervasive problems. As many as 17% of non-diabetic, asymptomatic men and 8% of women have some degree of glucose dysregulation. These metabolic difficulties translate into increased likelihood of cardiovascular disease, cancer, accelerated aging, and many chronic conditions.

This test assays blood over a 4-hour period for levels of glucose and insulin, following a glucose challenge. The test provides important information about hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and insulin resistance.

What This Test Involves:

You will need to be in the doctor's office for 4 1/2 hours, due to repeat blood collections. Following an overnight fast (nothing but water after 9 p.m. the previous night), your blood will be drawn. After this blood draw, you will immediately be given a sugar drink containing 75 grams of glucose. Blood samples will then be collected at 30 minutes after the drink, and then 1, 2, and 3 hours after the drink.

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What's Next?

How is abnormal blood sugar metabolism treated with medications?

The Managing Your Menopause Type® Educational Class is provided to the public without charge. This information is provide for education purposes only, and is not intended to prescribe treatment. Consult a physician, pharmacist or other healthcare professional regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or medical condition.