How necessary is the gestational diabetes test?

[[M]umma[M]ia]

yes u need to go have the test! that is why its there....one day of drinkin that sweet stuff aint gonna kill you. u dont have to be overweight or anything to have it and if u do and dont know u cud be putting ur baby at risk.

[Beatrix]

I have just had my third baby and i havent had the test once!

I talked it over with my midwife in my first pregnancy and she said honestly she didnt think i was high risk so i never bothered. I had the same midwife for the next two pgs and we didnt do it then either.

[BellyBelly]

I recommend you read THIS great article by Henci Goer, who is coming to Australia very soon!

[Jac]

So what if mother is normal/underweight and baby is small size for gestational age? Is there any reason you would need to take the test in this instance?

[paradise lost]

Jac honestly, unless you have glucose in your urine (which is tested at every appointment in the UK, and might also be in Aus?) you don't need the test. Read the article Kelly has linked in, and you'll see how useless it really is as a diagnostic tool.

Bx

[Jac]

You know what's funny, I have to provide a urine sample for each visit to the OB and I admit that I'm not exactly sure what they're testing for! I thought it had someting to do with blood pressure/ketones in urine but now I will have to ask and see. I'm sure someone else will know though.

[Stars69]

Um I do the urine tests as well and never had glucose show, yet I have GD. I eat well, have not put much weight on etc.

The diabetes educator advised that sometimes there are NO external symptoms that you may notice. There are risk factors, being over 30, being overweight, genetic history etc that come into play but if you don't have the test and you do have GD, there is a liklihood that the baby will need to go into the special care nursery after birth to help it cope with all the extra work it has had to do producing insulin with the mothere's higher sugar level.

Your choice of course, but I would rather be uncomfortable for a little while than to run the risk of anything happening down the track.