Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Written By Itz.Tiffany .

Definition: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a device that continually monitors a user's blood glucose levels through an attachment connected to the body. CGM sends live updates to a handheld device to display the user’s blood glucose levels, allowing easy access to required information for individuals with diabetes.

Definition: Type two diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the blood sugar levels in your body, causing constant high blood sugar levels or hyperglycemia. This occurs when the pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin. 

Why is CGM used?

This device is recommended for diabetic individuals to..

  • Manage their glucose levels

  • Avoid short and long-term diabetic complications

  • Save money on emergency events like hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia

  • Provide biofeedback in real time

  • Offer both the user and medical providers information to analyze data accurately.

But like…how much will it cost me?

The cost of continuous glucose monitoring can range drastically from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per year. This can fluctuate depending on the individual's insurance policy and whether the individual has insurance or not. Additionally, the prices can also change depending on the chosen brand and the payment plans for the CGM. 

Examples: 

  • Dexcom G6 is around $422 (transmitter), and additional costs may be added for sensors. 

  • Medtronic Guardian Connect is around $800 (transmitter), and the sensors cost $60 per week or $240 per month

  • Eversense is around $700 (transmitter), and the sensors cost $2700 annually. 

History of CGM and how it was founded:

Continuous glucose monitoring was invented by Adam Heller, a chemist at the University of Texas. Heller started his research in diabetic care in 1996 when he founded TheraSense, which created the blood glucose monitoring process painless,  while still maintaining accurate monitoring of the glucose concentration. Three years later, Adam Heller and his team developed CGM in 1999 for individuals with Type one and two diabetes after it was approved by the FDA. 

Before the development of this device, people solely relied on finger-pricking using self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and testing themselves using a blood glucose meter, which contained enzymes that reacted with glucose in the blood to indicate the amount of glucose present in the bloodstream. 

Now, there are multiple different brands of CGMs. Some have slight differences between them in shape, color, application, and connection processes. Throughout the historic process of CGM's development, it is undeniable to state that Adam Heller helped change millions of lives for diabetic patients. 

Did you know?

CGMs don’t directly measure blood sugar;

Instead, this device measures the glucose levels in the interstitial fluid.

Work Cited

American Diabetes Association. “Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM): Benefits, Accessibility & How It Works.” Diabetes.Org, https://diabetes.org/advocacy/cgm-continuous-glucose-monitors. Accessed 11 June 2025.

---. “Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM): Benefits, Accessibility & How It Works.” Diabetes.Org, https://diabetes.org/advocacy/cgm-continuous-glucose-monitors. Accessed 11 June 2025.

Cleveland Clinic. “Type 2 Diabetes.” Cleveland Clinic, 1 Sept. 2023, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21501-type-2-diabetes.

Olczuk, David. “A History of Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) in Self-Monitoring of Diabetes Mellitus.” Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, vol. 12, no. 2, 2018, pp. 181–87, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2017.09.005.

professional, Cleveland Clinic medical. “Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM).” Cleveland Clinic, 15 Aug. 2017, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/continuous-glucose-monitoring-cgm. 

Itz.Tiffany .
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