Wristwatch blood glucose meters are coming. At least two will soon be offered in the United States.

The wristwatch blood glucose meter is new technology that makes use of fluid drawn from under the skin rather than blood. This is cutting-edge, revolutionary technology that is going to make testing blood glucose much easier.

There are some problems with the technology at the moment. We’re hoping that the gurus will work out the little problem of the wristwatch glucose meter not being able to distinguish sweat from fluid withdrawn from under the skin.

These first wristwatch blood glucose meters may leave a little to be desired, and they may not replace regular blood glucose testing; but they will, and hopefully sooner rather than later.

The key features of the current models of wristwatch blood glucose meters are: readings can be taken about three times each hour; in certain models, readings can be taken every 10 minutes; and the skin pad (used to extract the fluid from beneath the skin) lasts about 12 to 13 hours.

The major disadvantages at the moment are: the meter must be recalibrated each time the skin pad is changed; the meters (where they are available) cost between $200 and $300 each, and skin pads cost between $4 and $6 each; and the meters do not replace testing with a regular glucose meter.

The wristwatch blood glucose meters may not be the thing for most diabetics just yet. Some improvements do need to be made, but they can be very useful for diabetics who have a great deal of trouble regulating their blood sugar as well as for pregnant women who need to catch blood sugar fluctuations quickly.