A1C and blood sugar test

What this test is

HbA1c and fasting glucose are blood tests. They check for diabetes and prediabetes. Some things raise your risk. These include being overweight, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. A family history of diabetes also raises risk. So does a past diagnosis of diabetes in pregnancy. If any of these apply to you, checking every few years is a good idea. It can catch a problem early. That is when lifestyle changes can still help most. If none of these risk factors apply to you, testing every single year is not needed. It will not usually change the plan sooner than testing every few years would.