{"id":11117,"date":"2022-08-17T09:54:33","date_gmt":"2022-08-17T08:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging-test2goco.kinsta.cloud\/blog\/how-can-i-test-myself-for-diabetes%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc\/"},"modified":"2022-08-17T09:54:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T08:54:33","slug":"how-can-i-test-myself-for-diabetes%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test2go.co.uk\/blog\/how-can-i-test-myself-for-diabetes%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc\/","title":{"rendered":"How can I test myself for diabetes?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you should test your\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/test2go.co.uk\/shop\/rapid-tests\/blood-glucose\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blood glucose levels<\/a>\u00a0regularly to adjust your treatment strategy to keep the disease under control.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Regular diabetes monitoring can help you avoid getting long-term health problems that can stem from diabetes, such as:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blindness<\/li>\n<li>Heart disease<\/li>\n<li>High blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>High cholesterol<\/li>\n<li>Kidney disease<\/li>\n<li>Skin problems<\/li>\n<li>Stroke<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Research has shown that people with either\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/test2go.co.uk\/blog\/type-1-type-2-diabetes-whats-the-difference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">type 1 or type 2 diabetes\u00a0<\/a>should stick to their target blood sugar and HbA1c levels to ensure a low risk of complications.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What is HbA1c?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Diabetes UK, The British Diabetic Association, define\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetes.org.uk\/guide-to-diabetes\/managing-your-diabetes\/hba1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HbA1c<\/a>\u00a0as &#8220;your average blood glucose (sugar) levels for the last two to three months. If you have diabetes, an ideal HbA1c level is 48mmol\/mol (6.5%) or below.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>They also say, &#8220;If you are at risk of developing\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/test2go.co.uk\/blog\/what-is-type-2-diabetes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">type 2 diabetes<\/a>, your target HbAC1 level should be below 42mmol\/mol (6%).&#8221;<\/p>\n<h4><strong>What is being tested in an HbA1c test?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>We all produce glucose as it is our body&#8217;s primary energy source. Some of the glucose we make may bind to the protein that carries oxygen into our red blood cells (haemoglobin). This combination of glucose and haemoglobin is known as haemoglobin A1c or HbA1c.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The amount of HbA1c we produce can be directly related to the average glucose concentration in our bloodstreams. Red blood cells tend to live for 2 to 3 months on average, so the amount of HbA1c in our blood reflects the average glucose level in our blood over the past 2 to 3 months.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you are not managing your diabetes well, your blood glucose levels will be high, and this will cause high HbA1c levels as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h4><strong>How to test your HbA1c levels<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>You can test your HbA1c levels with Test2Go&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/test2go.co.uk\/shop\/health-testing\/diabetes-diagnosis-and-monitoring\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Diabetes Diagnosis and Monitoring Test<\/a>. This at-home test kit requires a finger prick blood sample to be provided, which you then return to our accredited laboratories &#8211; return instructions are included within the kit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You will receive your results within two working days of us receiving your sample back at the lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>NB. It is important to note that our tests are not a substitute for seeing a doctor, particularly if you have symptoms. You should not make a diagnosis or start any treatment without a consultation with a doctor or a suitably trained health professional.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h4><strong>Who should take the Diabetes Diagnosis &amp; Monitoring Test?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Individuals in the following groups should not use hbA1c levels:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Children and young people less than 18 years of age<\/li>\n<li>Pregnant women or women who are two months postpartum<\/li>\n<li>People with symptoms of diabetes for less than two months<\/li>\n<li>People at high diabetes risk who are acutely ill<\/li>\n<li>People taking medication that may cause hyperglycemia (for example, long-term corticosteroid treatment)<\/li>\n<li>People with acute pancreatic damage<\/li>\n<li>People with end-stage renal disease (ESRD)<\/li>\n<li>People with HIV infection<\/li>\n<li>People with chronic haemolytic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><strong>What should I do if my HbA1c levels test results are high?<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>If your test results indicate that your HbA1c levels have been higher than normal over the past three months, you should contact your doctor. Decisions regarding your health should only be made following consultation with a medical professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Our test is for advisory purposes only. It is not a medical diagnosis.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>NB. It is important to note that our tests are not a substitute for seeing a doctor, particularly if you have symptoms. It would help if you did not make a diagnosis or start any treatment without a consultation with a doctor or a suitably trained health professional.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>At Home Diabetes Diagnosis &#038; Monitoring Test<\/h2>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t\tMonitor your HbA1c levels at home with our Diabetes Diagnosis &#038; Monitoring Test\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/test2go.co.uk\/shop\/health-testing\/diabetes-diagnosis-and-monitoring\/\"> \t\t\t\t\t\tShop now\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you should test your\u00a0blood glucose levels\u00a0regularly to adjust your treatment strategy to keep the disease under control.\u00a0 Regular diabetes monitoring can help you avoid getting long-term health problems that can stem from diabetes, such as: Blindness Heart disease High blood pressure High cholesterol Kidney disease Skin problems Stroke &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/test2go.co.uk\/blog\/how-can-i-test-myself-for-diabetes%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc%ef%bf%bc\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How can I test myself for diabetes?<\/span> Read More \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[77],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How can I test myself for diabetes? 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