I've decided to decline the GD test...tell me I'm not crazy?!

[*TripleJ*]

ummmm 74kg pre preg sounds awesome to me i am the same height as u and i was 67kg pre DS preg and i gained 25kg so u are fine i didnt have GD for either so i seriously would only be worried if u feel crappy

[Traveller]

Completely understand your decision. The test is pretty unpleasant and the risks of a false positive (and negative affects on your birth choices) are there. There are also benefits of having the test, and all you can do is weigh up the risks and benefits that mean the most to you.

[KarenM]

I was in the same situation as you - didn't really see the need to do it as this is bub #3 and I haven't had any problems before and pretty low risk. A few weeks ago when I was about 29 weeks I was feeling really weird so thought I should maybe do it just in case. GD test came back fine but they did find my iron was down to 4 (from 30 at 12 weeks) so in a way I am glad I did it as I would not want to be approaching labour with such low iron. I am of the 'less-is-more' thinking also when it comes to testing in pregnancy and like you have done my research, but I knew in myself that something wasn't quite right so it was the right decision for me in retrospect.

[skybie]

I passed both my GD tests, and ended up getting GD AFTER 28 weeks with izzy which was undiagnosed and i then developed Type 1 diabetes, so please be careful. My placenta failed because of my diabetes,and now Jack's gone. it can happen if u have undiagnosed GD. dnt mean to scare u but whats so hard about going and getting a blood test done?
If you're looking for reassurance with ur decision then u clearly arent 100% happy with it

[Harriet]

The midwife told me that while every test is offered - they are not always compulsary.
After I was offered the GD test, I came in to work and was told by my horrified collegues that I MUST have the test.
I think we live in a society where tests and intervention are the norm... people don't even think to question why they are being offered the test in the first place.
Have you discussed it with the midwife? I think it sounds like you have made the right decision for you - through looking after yourself and Isla through diet and exercise

[HotI]

My 2 cents worth - nope not crazy. If I were in your situation, I would have declined too. You are the best person to judge your unique risk factors and symtpoms. (Interesting, my hospital won't give me the option of declining....)

You always have the option of declining! It's your body, your choice.

[Cassius2]

dnt mean to scare u but whats so hard about going and getting a blood test done?
If you're looking for reassurance with ur decision then u clearly arent 100% happy with it

because then the hospital run HB program will most likely tell her to get stuffed and force her to birth in the hospital.

I didnt get the GD test done. as others have emphasised, it isnt the be all and end all of tests. you can develop it later, get false positives etc.
We decided that careful monitoring of myself and bubs prenatally and postnatally (the sort that can be achieved with an IM for example) was the best route (considering the low risk factors for myself etc etc). this came however after HEAPS of discussion with my IM and my support IM and my DH and of course with myself . it's ok to question your decision, it's about awareness and keeping an eye on yourself and baby as well.

[PumpkinZulu]

I passed both my GD tests, and ended up getting GD AFTER 28 weeks with izzy which was undiagnosed and i then developed Type 1 diabetes, so please be careful. My placenta failed because of my diabetes,and now Jack's gone. it can happen if u have undiagnosed GD. dnt mean to scare u but whats so hard about going and getting a blood test done?
If you're looking for reassurance with ur decision then u clearly arent 100% happy with it

Nothing hard about it, it's just not something I agree with. I have anxiety issues and the thought of being placed in a 'high risk' category freaks me right out, all the intervention, and I'd lose my homebirth, and nothing stresses me more than a hospital birth at this stage...I mean, if it came to that I would probably scrap the hospital all together and scrape the $$ together for an IM...but that would be very hard. I totally understand what you are saying though It's all about weighing up the pros and cons for each situation I think. I guess for me, it's that only a max of 25% of GD needs to be controlled with insulin injections, the rest is controlled by diet and exercise which I've decided to impliment on a 'GD' type level anyway; good low GI diet, good exercise routine etc. Something that I would most likely be told to do *if* I did have GD, DTMS?

I like the idea someone mentioned about blood ***** tests and urine testing later on, also my midwives will keep an eye on it, as will I. I just figure, so many people aren't even offered the test (like Bea), I find it odd and stressful that I was with no risk factors for GD. Thankyou all so much for your input - from both sides of the fence! I believe I have made a balanced decision based on the information I have

[Roryrory]

i would worry if you did have it and it was undiagnosed, the risks you had put yourself and bub under?

As Skybie has said the risks can be quite extreme, but when I was in the situation of being told if I had the test and FAILED it I would be booted from the Sunshine Hospital Home Birth Program I elected to have the test "off line" (ie: I got a referral from a random GP and did not tell the hossy the results, even tho they turned out fine).

I did a lot of research into GD and on one view it is a "cure in search of a disease". That is, its questionable whether a positive reading on a test will necessarily be an indicator for the myriad of risks it is associated with. One of the big "risks" is a large baby, but from my reading it appears that this translates into scalpel-happy OBs wanting to perform a c-section "in case" the baby is big (and anyone who has bee on BB as long as you have PZ knows that small women can birth big babies and vice versa).

Like the others I don't know all your reasoning for declining the test but it is one of those choices you have to make and be comfortable with as a birthing woman. Motherhood is a constant balancing of risk and benefit.

ETA: Just realised you posted at the same time as me - are you on the sunshine program PZ???

[PumpkinZulu]

Yep Rory...I know you were, as soon as I joined I read your birth story lol. Yep, the reasons you stated are my reasons. Not worried about a big bub, I don't eat a whole lot of sugar and stuff to contribute to a bigger bub (as GD causes sugar to go through the placenta and makes bubs big). I *really* like the idea of having an 'offline' test, that way I do not risk losing my spot, but if I *did* have GD, I could re-evaluate my position.

[YoYo]

According to Singapore ob, I was 'borderline' gd. When I got to oz and showed them my results, they said I had gd. I, like you weighed about the same pre preg, ate well, actually lost weight BUT diabetes runs in my family so I thought better be safe than sorry and follow through testing myself after every meal in oz to prove that I just had to watch my diet.

I never once felt labelled, or thought of it negatively anyway, and dd came out a nice teeny 6lb 13oz and no trouble since.

It's up to you what you choose, but for me, it was nothing to write home about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[skybie]

its insulin tht makes a baby bigger not sugar, because insulin is a growth hormone.
the high risk factor of having GD isnt laughable as someone mentioned earlier, it is a high risk factor, theres a higher rate of still births in diabetic mothers than non diabetic mothers. My placenta didnt even make it to 38 weeks!

theres every chance you wont have Gd, yet given you're already technically 'overweight' i would think that that would be a factor, your body is already working harder to maintain your insulin levels, add onto that pregnancy which requires double the amount of insulin your non pregnant body needs.
yes some pople manage with diet and excersize but even the healthiest and fitest of mothers can end up on insulin, its not always something your body can control

[Roryrory]

PZ maybe go with the off line test then? Because there were legitimate risks (though small) I wanted to know for myself whether I had GD. I felt I would be in control and could make my call from there.

[skybie]

i have about 4 glucose monitors if u want me to send you one

[Cassius2]

yeah i reckon if you arent comfy with the decision 100% go for an offline test; that way you know if you are dealing with anything IYKWIM and can maybe keep on top of any possible anxiety that might come from NOT knowing ITMS.

[PumpkinZulu]

Thanks so much for the info guys, I think the offline test is a good idea for me to consider, not now as it still stresses me too much, but maybe in a week or two, as it's something that is sitting there in the back of my mind, though small, it is taunting me a tad.

Skye, I'd really appreciate that! What are they exactly, how are they used?

ETA I'm aware that sugar doesn't cause diabtetes...my understanding of GD and the reason for me cutting down on sugars is, as I understood it, the body passes excess sugar (glucose from the breaking down of foods, especially high GI foods) onto the bub through the placenta with GD, causing bub to grow fatser and bigger?

[DANNIIM]

I think there is a huge misconseption around diabetes in general that it is caused by too much sugar. As others have said if your happy with your decission thats good but you gotta be prepared for consequences that may arise and i think maybe to air on the side of caution take Skybie's offer of a glucose monitor.

Best of luck PZ

[DANNIIM]

If you do monitor your own sugar levels via a monitor i would possibly discuss it with your middie and she can tell you when to take it - has to be generally 2 hrs after meals in a type 2 diabetic and at what levels the range should be in. It's a pin ***** on your finger that draws blood out and you put it on the strip and the strip is put into the monitor and gives you a reading. You can buy them from chemists and make sure the strips aren't out of date or you won't get a correct reading either.