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Gestational Diabetes Test - why or why not?

924 views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  sagira 
#1 ·
I'm up for the dreaded GD test next appointment. I really hated it so much the last 2 times that I had it (this is my 3rd pregnancy). I would like to skip it because last time I had to take it twice due to puking, but I am not sure I have a valid reason beyond my discomfort. Is there a reason why I should just suck it up and take it? Or a justifiable reason why I could skip it?

Thanks for the input ladies!
 
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#3 ·
I refused mine, instead I used diabetic testing equipment and did my own fasting test. i tested when I got up before anything went into my system, had a large glass of orange juice then tested @ 1/2 hour and 1 hour. My friend is diabetic, she said the guide lines for non preg women is 120, you can go near 150 while pregnant. My 1/2 hour result was 121 my hour test was 92 so I am using my sugar well. My OB did not want to accept it but it's not their body. I am confidant all is well with my sugars and will test once more to be sure. This is a valid way of checking even if they don't like it. BTW I puked too with my first pregnancy. Not really a good way to check how you use your sugar since you would never eat that much sugar like that. HTH
 
#4 ·
i refuse them. my MW is very strict about my diet....or preg diet overall. so if you r pretty good about it to begin with there shouldn't be any worries. she also doesn't believe in making a preg woman fast!
:

so if you do choose to do it, she has her own way of testing thru a specific meal you prepare yourself and test after that. if you are interested in that let me know...i'll get the info from her.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the feedback. I dont know why I have such a hard time being confrontational or whatnot when my DH isnt at my appointments with me. I just agreed to do it (the day before I posted this) without a single thought, because it didnt seem like an optional thing. Now I am convinced (as is DH) that I am not going to have the test (that Henci Goer link was great btw, THANKS!)

Its just a matter of telling them when they are expecting me to show up an hour early next visit so that I can take it. I'm going to have to call them and change the schedule.

Thanks for all the feedback. I feel really good, and DH said that if I had any type of diabetes (it runs rampant in his family) that I would feel like crap all the time.
 
#6 ·
Hi. As someone who has GD, I'd like to give a different opinion.

I followed the GD diet, and tested at home for weeks. My fasting went above the recommended number without any change in how I felt. My numbers never skyrocketed enough to make me feel crappy, and U/S results are showing my little one is at the 94%.

I think testing at home is great, and doing the 1 hour test with food is an option, instead of the stupid orange drink they give. My first test I came in fasting at 8am, had a test, and then ate a PB sandwich. They then tested me an hour later.

I never would have known I had it from how I felt, it crept up slowly. Fortunately i was testing at home already. If you have an pre-disposition, I'd recommend it.
 
#7 ·
After reading information from Ina May Gaskin and Henci Goer, and searching for other studies, I've decided not to do the typical medical GTT this time around.

BUT when discussing this with my midwife, she had some good points to make about checking how a pregnant woman's body is handling carbohydrates. What we will probably do instead of the GTT with that awful glucola is do a finger prick following a normal meal or maybe a slightly carb-heavy meal. In other words, see how my body is handling my normal (healthy) diet. THEN if that looks funny, we would follow up on that.

I feel like this is a much more reasonable approach than just having every single pregnant woman do the GTT. It looks like what Ina May recommends in her Guide to Childbirth.
 
#8 ·
I dont have any kind of predisposition. In my family, high bp is a huge issue as are cancer and heart problems, but I dont know anyone ever who has had diabetes of any kind. My DH's family has a history of lots of diabetes, but thats not really related to me. I have taken this test with both of my previous pregnancies without any kind of red flags whatsoever.
 
#9 ·
I think that because you haven't have GD the past two times, you might be more comfortable skipping it.

BUT, as somebody who was insulin resistant prior to pregnancy, and has had insulin-dependent gestational diabetes during all three of my pregnancies, I disagree that it is not a "real" condition. The level my blood sugars reach without meds or insulin are well in the high 200s... nowhere near normal. Well most women with gestational diabetes can control it with diet, a small portion cannot. I'm one of those people.

I face that same risks as other diabetic moms, including increased risk of stillbirth, fetal macrosomia, etc. By managing my blood sugars, those risks go down.

I will say that I'm not so sure that the GTT is a good test. I'd much rather Moms be leant a glucose monitor to test her own fasting and post-prandial blood sugars. I think the results would be a lot more realistic.

Just wanted to add that it's not usually about a history of diabetes in the family... it has more to do with the growing placenta and the hormones it secretes. Every pregnant woman becomes a little insulin resistant during pregnancy, those with GD go beyond this.
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by umsami View Post
I will say that I'm not so sure that the GTT is a good test. I'd much rather Moms be leant a glucose monitor to test her own fasting and post-prandial blood sugars.
What is post-prandial blood sugar? I plan to test again tomorrow and want to make sure that I am covering all my bases.
 
#11 ·
Post-prandial is just the medical jargon way of saying after you eat. You can either test 1 hour after or 2 hours after. In general, if 1 hour you want it 140 and below. If two hours, 120 and below. For your morning fasting blood glucose levels (assuming your'e in the States... British use a different measurement),
you 'd like them to be below 100.
 
#12 ·
I had the test, but I didn't think it was necessary. I would have protested it, but I figured my husband would want me to take it anyway, just to be safe. When I became pregnant, I was a healthy six feet, 170 pounds. I'm vegan and try and stick to as whole as foods as possible, with very little junk. I had to fast for twelve hours prior to my test and I was very concerned about hurting my baby. I didn't think it was safe to fast for that long, and I wanted to question the person with whom I made the appointment, but I figured she was "just" (for lack of better word) the receptionist and may not know. I did take a natural PB and all-fruit spread sandwhich on whole wheat to eat immediately after. That didn't touch my stomach so when I got home, I made a smoothie, that didn't help fill me, but I realized that it would get digested quicker and the baby would get it quicker. I felt so horrible for going without food that long.

Also, I didn't think that the orange junk was healthy for me or the baby. Ugh. For the next pregnancy, I'll go over my diet with my doctor and see for sure if I "need" it and if there is an alterntive. Hopefully, the next time, I can go more natural with a midwife or duoula with whom I can spend my whole pregnancy. (I'm due in Sept.; We're moving in August.)
 
#13 ·
I was not aware of the issues around the GD 1 hour test and I think I would have refused it had I educated myself. I did not pass the one hour and just today had to do the 3 hour test.

I read very different accounts of how much one should fast before the 1 hour. I didn't eat anything overnight, but many women (see the Sept. due date forum) were told to eat a big breakfast high in protein 2 hours, or even 1 hour before the test. I can't see how the test would have a standardized result if so many women are given such different instructions.

I felt woozy most of the day after the one hour test. And I felt awful during the 3 hour test - if you add the 12 hours I fasted before that, I fasted for about 15 hours, which can't be good for Baby. I do feel better today (after eating), I think because I ate a really high protein meal the night before.

If I were to rewind this, I'd ask my doctor:
1) Given my history of low blood pressure, no diabetes in the family, and a healthy diet, is this test really necessary?

2) How long precisely to fast beforehand (about 2 hours or more) and what to eat beforehand.
 
#14 ·
I tested as having GD this pregnancy. I am glad I know - because by knowing I can control it. I didn't really have any significant risk factors other than having a big baby in the past.

I can control mine with diet -and honestly is it really so bad to cut out refined sugars and flours? I feel so much healthier and my weight gain has been very low.

My biggest fear is the risk of stillbirth. I squeezed out a posterior 9lb 5oz baby - big babies don't scare me - but going through 9 months of pregnancy to lose the baby at the end is one of my nightmares.
 
#16 ·
So, is the GD treatment just avoiding flour and sugar?

I am thinking of forgoing it too. My number was 90 last time and I that is when I ate a high-carb diet. Now I don't eat flour (discovered a gluten problem)/processed food and do a lower carb diet anyway.

I thought the test was strange too. When in real life am I going to drink a big cup of syrup on an empty stomach? Yuk.
 
#17 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by alegna View Post
Do a search for Henci Goer and GD.

I will always refuse it, because:

1. I'm not convinced it's a condition at all.

2. No one can agree on cut-off numbers to CALL it a condition

3. "Treating" the condition does not improve outcomes.

-Angela
All of these are good reasons, PLUS the fact that false positives are really common, particularly in my demographic.
 
#18 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by newcastlemama View Post
So, is the GD treatment just avoiding flour and sugar?

I am thinking of forgoing it too. My number was 90 last time and I that is when I ate a high-carb diet. Now I don't eat flour (discovered a gluten problem)/processed food and do a lower carb diet anyway.

I thought the test was strange too. When in real life am I going to drink a big cup of syrup on an empty stomach? Yuk.
I think the test is designed to catch as many cases as possible - which is why it's so extreme. I'm not a fan of it either - it made me sick and dizzy - and I failed it.

If you have concerns - talk to your midwife or doctor and see if they have any reccomendations on other ways to test for GD - for example - last week CVS had a special where you could use a coupon out of the paper and get a free glucose meter with a coupon. Maybe you can keep a food diary and test yourself at home for a week to see how your body reacts to your normal diet? That might give you a better idea of how your body is processing sugar and if you are making enough insulin.

There's just so many risks associated with this condition.


I'm going to step off my soapbox before I start in on the average American's diet
 
#19 ·
For the GD test, my MW had me fast for 12 hrs, tested me, then I ate a meal. I ate a tuna sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo, drank 8 oz. of apple juice (pure, all natural) and ate a whole apple. I thought that was reasonable as it's more natural. I tested negative.

My mom had tested positive for the test 30 years ago and now she's diagnosed with diabetes. I have it on both sides of my family, and it's on my husband's side of the family as well.
 
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