North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the North American Registry of Midwives Exam. Utilize flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Get ready to excel!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

Why is fasting blood sugar not sufficient as the sole screening criteria for gestational diabetes?

It is too difficult to measure
Because it can be normal in gestational diabetes
It is invasive and not recommended
It has low specificity

The correct answer is: Because it can be normal in gestational diabetes

Fasting blood sugar levels can indeed appear normal in women who are experiencing gestational diabetes. This condition often involves glucose intolerance that can fluctuate throughout the day, meaning that a typical fasting measurement could miss instances where blood sugar levels rise significantly after eating. As gestational diabetes can manifest mainly after meals, relying solely on fasting blood sugar can lead to underdiagnoses of this important condition, which could potentially affect both maternal and fetal health. Therefore, additional testing methods, such as the two-hour oral glucose tolerance test, are recommended to provide a more accurate assessment of glucose metabolism during pregnancy.