Order an HbA1c test and measure your blood sugar

A disrupted blood sugar regulation usually develops gradually, often without clear symptoms. An HbA1c test can help you catch it earlier. Fasting glucose gives a snapshot of your blood sugar at the moment of the draw, while HbA1c reflects your average blood sugar over the past two to three months.

Together, these two markers can reveal patterns that are associated with prediabetes or a fluctuating sugar regulation. That is not a diagnosis, but a concrete starting point you can discuss with a doctor.

This test may suit men who:

• have diabetes or a metabolic condition in the family
• want to know how their body handles sugar
• have changed their diet or lifestyle and want to track the effect on their blood sugar
• notice symptoms such as more thirst, frequent urination or unexplained fatigue

Even without symptoms, some men choose to record a baseline so they can compare later.

This HbA1c test measures two biomarkers in your blood:

• Glucose (fasting) (mmol/l): the amount of sugar in your blood after a period of fasting, a snapshot of your current glucose regulation.
• HbA1c (mmol/mol): glycated hemoglobin, which indicates your average blood sugar level over the past two to three months.

If you want to learn more about your current sugar, read on at the page about fasting glucose. If your focus is on insulin resistance, the insulin resistance test with HOMA-IR fits better.

Fasting glucose and HbA1c complement each other. A normal fasting glucose with a slightly elevated HbA1c could suggest that your blood sugar sometimes spikes outside fasting moments. Conversely, an elevated fasting glucose with a normal HbA1c may point to a recent change rather than a longer pattern.

By measuring your HbA1c alongside your glucose, you can get a more nuanced view of how your body manages blood sugar over time. What your values mean exactly depends on your situation and is best discussed with a doctor.

For this test, blood is drawn at a certified sample point. There are 700+ locations across the Netherlands, which you choose yourself after ordering. You do not need to see your GP first: it is a blood test without a GP, where you pick a time that suits you.

The draw is done by trained staff and usually takes only a few minutes. After that, your blood goes to the lab, where your glucose and HbA1c are determined.

An HbA1c test can be useful if you have risk factors for a disrupted sugar regulation, such as diabetes in the family or a sedentary lifestyle. It can also help if you have changed your eating pattern and want to see how your blood sugar responds.

Some men looking to order a diabetes test choose this combination to capture both their current and their average blood sugar in one go.

Your result shows whether your fasting glucose and HbA1c fall within the reference ranges. Values above the expected range can be associated with a disrupted glucose regulation or with prediabetic patterns, but a single test provides a data point, not a definitive answer.

What counts as a healthy value varies by lab and by person. A doctor can interpret your result together with your situation and help you decide whether follow-up steps could be worthwhile.

For this test you need to be fasting: do not eat or drink anything except water for 8 to 12 hours before the draw. Ideally, book your appointment in the morning, as staying fasted is usually easiest then.

If you use medication or supplements, ask your doctor whether you should take them as usual on the day of the draw.

Your results are available online within a few working days. You log in to your account and view your results whenever it suits you, with the measured value and its reference range for each marker.

Every blood test result includes a professional assessment from a BIG-registered doctor. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.