Glycosylated Haemoglobin (GHb/HbA1c)
Reflects average blood sugar over the past three months. The standard for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes, and it needs no fasting
Also known as HbA1c, A1c, Glycosylated haemoglobin, Sugar average, 3 month sugar, HbA1c (Glycated Haemoglobin), Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C)
₹335/-₹450/-26% offFree collection on orders above ₹500/-
- Reports within
- 8 hours
- Parameters included
- 02see list
- Sample
- Blood
- Fasting
- Not needed
- Measures
- Average blood sugar over the past three months
- Identifies
- Prediabetes, diabetes, and how well diabetes is controlled
Collected at home
A trained phlebotomist visits at a time you pick, from the next hour
Sealed single-use kit
Opened in front of you, and carried to the lab under controlled conditions
Report within 8 hours
On WhatsApp and email, with any value outside the normal range highlighted
What is the HbA1c test?
HbA1c measures how much of the haemoglobin in your red blood cells has sugar attached to it. Red cells live three months, so the number reflects your average blood sugar over that whole period, not just this morning. The report also converts it into an estimated average glucose in mg/dL, the same unit as a glucometer.
Doctors use HbA1c to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes, and to check whether treatment is working. A single fasting reading can be pushed up or down by one meal, a poor night's sleep or a missed tablet. HbA1c cannot. That is why it is the number your doctor looks at first at each review, and the one used to decide whether a dose needs changing.
No fasting is needed, so the sample can be collected at home at any time of day. A trained phlebotomist draws a small blood sample with a sealed single-use kit, and the report reaches you on WhatsApp and email in 8 hours.
HbA1c parameters2 measured
HbA1c
4–5.6 %
Glycated haemoglobin, the share of haemoglobin coated in sugar, reflecting average blood sugar over three months rather than a single moment
Estimated average glucose
70–114 mg/dL
Translates the glycated haemoglobin result into an everyday sugar number, so the three-month average can be read against day-to-day glucose readings
Reference ranges are the lab's defaults for adults and are printed on the report beside every value
How to prepare
- No fasting is needed. Eat and drink as usual before the sample is collected.
- Take your regular medicines, including diabetes tablets or insulin, on schedule.
- Tell the phlebotomist if you have had a blood transfusion or heavy bleeding in the past three months, as this can lower the result.
Who should take it
Anyone over 30 who has never had a sugar check, and anyone younger who is overweight, has PCOS, or has a parent or sibling with diabetes. People with symptoms such as unusual thirst, frequent urination, tiredness or slow-healing wounds. Everyone already diagnosed with diabetes, who should repeat it every three to six months as their doctor advises. Women who had gestational diabetes, who should test yearly afterwards. Anyone whose fasting sugar came back borderline and needs a steadier number.
Before the visit
Anaemia, a recent transfusion, kidney disease and some inherited haemoglobin conditions such as thalassaemia trait can make HbA1c read falsely low or high. Mention any of these to your doctor so the result is read alongside a fasting or post-meal sugar.
Why take the HbA1c test?
- Diagnose diabetes: an HbA1c above the reference range is one of the accepted ways to confirm diabetes, without a fasting sample.
- Catch prediabetes early: a value just above 5.6% shows sugar is creeping up while there is still time to reverse it with diet and exercise.
- Check your control: if you already have diabetes, this is the number that shows whether your tablets, insulin and routine are working.
- Track a change: repeating the test three months after a new medicine or a new diet shows whether it made a difference.
- Screen for risk: a family history of diabetes, PCOS, excess weight or past gestational diabetes all justify a baseline reading.
Questions about the HbA1c test
What is the HbA1c test used for?
It shows your average blood sugar over the past three months in one number. Doctors use it to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes, and to check every few months whether diabetes treatment is keeping sugar in range.
Do I need to fast for HbA1c?
No. HbA1c reflects three months of sugar, so what you ate this morning does not change it. Eat, drink and take your usual medicines, and book the collection at any time of day.
What sample is taken and how does home collection work?
A small blood sample from a vein in the arm. A trained phlebotomist comes to your home, uses a sealed single-use kit, and takes the sample to the lab. Collection takes ten minutes.
What is the normal HbA1c range?
The report gives HbA1c as a percentage, with a reference range of 4 to 5.6%. It also gives an estimated average glucose, with a reference range of 70 to 114 mg/dL, so you can compare it with glucometer readings.
What does a high HbA1c mean?
A value above 5.6% usually means sugar has been running high for weeks, not just one bad day. Values a little above the range point to prediabetes; higher values point to diabetes or diabetes that is not well controlled. Your doctor will confirm with the full picture.
Who should get HbA1c tested and how often?
Anyone over 30 as a baseline, and earlier with excess weight, PCOS or a family history. People with diabetes repeat it every three to six months. Prediabetes is usually rechecked every six to twelve months.
How long does the HbA1c report take?
The report is sent to your WhatsApp and email in 8 hours from collection. It shows the HbA1c percentage and the estimated average glucose side by side, so you can share it with your doctor the same day.
My fasting sugar is normal but HbA1c is high. Which one is right?
Both can be right. Fasting sugar is one moment; HbA1c averages three months, including the rises after meals that a fasting test misses. A high HbA1c with normal fasting sugar often means after-meal spikes, and your doctor may ask for a post-meal sugar to confirm.
Commonly tested together
Often on the same prescription
What happens after you book
- A phlebotomist is assigned and reaches you in your chosen slot, as soon as the next hour
- The sample is collected with a sealed single-use kit and moved on a cold chain
- The report lands on WhatsApp and email within 8 hours