GD testing question

I've been a bit worried about my sugar cravings this pregnancy. I don't know if it is emotional eating to deal with the stress or if these are extra cravings in this pregnancy. I use baking as therapy, so therefore have sweet stuff in the house unless I give it away.

Anyway, I have concerns about a couple of things to do with GD testing;
1) I hate the sugar drink and hate the idea of introducing that load of sugar and preservatives to bub
2) I am not thrilled about the timing or accuracy. I would normally have it at 26 weeks. However, I have a friend who passed her test at 26 weeks and birthed a very sick baby who obviously had blood sugar issues. I don't think a one of test at a random time in pregnancy is an accurate measure of GD.

Apparently the pee sticks they used to use to measure sugar levels are also inaccurate.

I was thinking about buying a blood sugar monitor and just testing myself. I have no idea what this entails - do I have to test myself multiple times a day or could I just do it first thing in the morning, for example? I'm not thrilled about lancing myself, but I'll suck it up if I need to.

The OB says to just do the normal GD test. Obviously, I should also cut back on the sugar. I would value the opinions of those who have had GD or other forms of diabetes and have experience with regular self-testing.

I see there's a blood sugar monitor that hooks onto the iphone, but it's pretty exxy, and I shouldnt waste money on something I dont need.

I had mil GD with dd. you can buy the monitors from the chemist. I had to test my sugars 2 hours after eating, because they were generally normal I just had to pick two meals a day to test 2 hours after.

I'm pretty sure the 2nd test they do to diagnose is pretty accurate. The sugar actually only works out to a can of soft drink, or so I was told :)

The second test is much more accurate as they take blood more than once and see how your body is dealing with the insulin. With gd you test in the morning for your fasting levels and then 2 hours after the meals. I had to be under 5.5 in the morning and under 6.5 after meals. You can get kits pretty cheap now rather than getting an exxy one when gd isn't confirmed.

I had the long test with DS1 and was fine, but I'm older and fatter now, so apparently that increases my risk.

ETA - does testing after meals include after snacks?

They seem to think everyone who is older and bigger must have it. I had three tests with ds and got the all clear but even after he was born one midwife insisted we both had it and needed monitoring because I had it with dd.

No I ate 6 times a day but tested 4, I would test 2hrs after a meal then have the snack from memory.

I think part of me just wants to have control over this - if I have a record of BSL's, then I know if I'm fine or not and can address it accordingly, rather than someone else telling me I may or may not have it based on my age and weight.

I had gd the blood glucose monitors are cheap as chips but the little thongs you stick into it a very expensive unless you have a thing from ur dr that says you have gd I don't think 1 sugar drink will harm baby just make baby excited for a while

Jellybean is right, you can get a machine cheap but unless you have a card from the national diabetes scheme you pay a lot for the strips, something like $100 without the card and $15 with it.

I have GD in this pregnancy and had it last time too, I had the sugar test at 9 weeks this time because I was high risk and was on insulin by 17 weeks, last pregnancy I had the gtt at 18 weeks which I passed but by 24 weeks was feeling awful & knew I had it, the 2nd test confirmed.

Limits are changing at the moment but generally it's meant to be under 5.5 fasting (some hospitals want it under 5) and mine does 1 hour after eating not 2 hours and they want it under 8 at one hour, so if you start eating at 12 you check it at 1 even if it took you 30 mins to eat, I don't necessarily agree with that but that's the current theory at my hospital

Wow - I didnt realise the cost of the test strips. Maybe I should ask to do the drink test earlier and take it from there.

I can also cut down on the sugar.....

I've had it twice and I did a bit of reading. Whilst factors of age, weight and certain ethnicity.can increase your risk (and they - medical practitioners - really do play heavily on this) the research I found indicated that the.risk factors only occurred in 50% of women with gd. Having been through 2 pg with gd at mmc and sitting for considerable lengths of time in the clinic d waiting room on 'gd day', I think the research is right :lol:.

My personal opinion is that the way you are supposed to eat as a diabetic is the way we should eat anyway so it's not a bad way of eating to follow. Bearing in mind that in some cases even the best if eating won't control your levels (and that's where I think being able to test would be handy).

I'm a control freak so I started testing in pg 2 before I had the test.

It is alot cheaper to get the strips once you're registered with the ndss. I tested first thing in the mornings and after breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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Wow - I didnt realise the cost of the test strips. Maybe I should ask to do the drink test earlier and take it from there.

I can also cut down on the sugar.....

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This is what I did, although I didn't really choose, it was the recommendation of my care providers. (DM in the family and a previous 4kg baby.) I did it once at 19 weeks and again at 29 ish. Long test both times.

I had a feeling that you were supposed to get tested at the 26-28 mark (is that right? Baby brain is striking...) because that was the general time it would be most evident. Is that right?

I vaguely remember being told by my doctor that if you get checked earlier it may not show up anything with the drink test?

Yes at about 28 weeks littleo but you can have 1 done anytime (as an extra to the 28wk one).

Because my GD was so bad last time I have to have one done next PG at 7 weeks, 15 weeks and 26 weeks :( I already have the referral and I'm not even PG yet lol

I didn't get tested last pregnancy and am not this pregnancy. My risk factors are my age and I'm chubby.

I'm doing home testing with our monitor. I do fasting, and 2 hours after main meals. My levels for yesterday were 3.8 fasting 4.2 after breakfast and 3.9 after lunch.

I ddon't want to do the test because I don't usually put such high levels of sugar into my body either. I have craved sugar the last three pregnancies however didn't have gd or overly massive babies (dd1 was my biggest at 3.95kg however she was born at 42 weeks)

My midwife is happy with me self testing and if my levels go up, then I will have the proper gtt.

Do you know someone with an NDS card? I got my Dad to buy the testing strips for me so they were the cheaper rate cause my NDS card from when I had GD with my first pg had expired. Dad has diabetes and so did both of my grandfathers - I am right up there also because I have PCOS (formerly insulin resistance, apparently now just PCOS).

I was on metformin (diabetes medication) prior to falling pg with DD. I had to keep taking that till 12 weeks. I had the test at 7 weeks to rule out diabetes (it is thought that true GD would not show that early but it will show if you have diabetes) and then again at 26 weeks when it showed that I had GD. I was diet controlled then until she was delivered at 34+1 due to pre-eclampsia. I am not sure if the metformin affected/masked the earlier test.

I was not on metformin prior to this pg - apparently my PCOS is no longer insulin resistance - go figure! I had the test at 11 weeks again to rule out diabetes and it was clear and then had it at around 28 weeks and that was all clear too.

Given my PCOS history and family history of diabetes I have never been referred for the short test. I have always done the long test... yet my sisters have done the short test even though they should be considered higher risk as well once my history is factored in... weird.

I got the strips and have tested throughout this preg (though I haven't been as diligent in testing since getting the all clear from the 28 week test) and used to test fasting and 2hrs after main meals.

how long does a box of strips last? that is quite expensive :o...so would hope that it wouldnt be a wee little pack needing replacement each week...

All I have eaten this pregnancy is sugar :( I can't stop myself. I was worried also about GD, but my test was negative at 26 weeks. I did mention that I have been eating a lot of sugars to my OB and he didn't seemed concerned at all. Maybe because I am not overweight, but I still worry about it.

I had GD with DD1 and borderline with DD2...i did the long tests both times. DD1 came back at 8.0 after long test (so GD confirmed) DD2 came back at 7.0 after the long test, no GD. With DD2 I still monitored my levels fasting before breakfast, and then 2 hours after each meal (breakfast, lunch dinner). My levels with DD2 were all over the place and i did another long GD test at 34 weeks which still came back under for GD, but my care provider advised to eat as i would've had i been GD positive. In the end, the jury was still out on whether or not i had GD (i still think i did) as DD2 was 9pd 4ouncs at birth (I requested an induction with AROM at 38 weeks) yet DD2 who i had full blown GD requiring insulin injections was 7pd 14oz at birth at 39.5weeks.

It should also be noted that sugary food is only a small contributor to insulin levels. It is the foods with carbs (eg, pasta) which tend to have the bigger effect on levels, because it is how your body converts the insulin in those foods which has the impact. With DD1, rice, pasta, noodles and bananas all sent my levels skyrocketing.

I want to avoid the test, is this possible? I'm not in any way overweight and I was all clear last pregnancy.

Just checked my receipt from this morning, my brand of strips are $52.69 for 100 without the card and $15.50 with the card, if you are testing 4 times a day (which you have to if you have GD) that 100 lasts 25 days

Connie - you can refuse testing.

Connie - I didn't bother with the test while pg with DD2 and won't this time either, for the same reasons as you. No risk factors, tiny babies and zero diabetes in my family anywhere. I just told my m/w I didn't want it.

My Dad has Type 2 diabetes so I'll see if he has a card.

$52 for 100 strips doesnt seem to bad if it will give me an indicator of what my BSL's are over time, so I might just go get a monitor. Can anyone recommend one that keeps good records?

lionsandbears i'll PM you

I had insulin controlled GD with DS. I had the test with DD1 and it was clear but my midwife and I thought it was odd to go from high dose insulin to fine so I opted to monitor in case it developed later (it didn't). Over here a midwife can write a script for the machine and strips. I didn't bother with the test and went straight to monitoring with DD2. I didn't get it that time either.

If the GTT test bothers you then it isn't a huge investment to get the strips. If you go that way then I would suggest testing fasting levels when you wake, then every once in a while test after your evening meal (2 hours later, no snacking before you test). From memory if it hasn't appeared by the 32/34 week mark then it is very unlikely to.

Levels seem to peak in the low 30 weeks and then stabilise around 36 weeks (well, that's what the endo told me and was the case with both pg).

If your dad has type 2 he well most likely have the ndss card and then you just need to get them from a ndss affiliated chemist :)

I decided just to do the GTT test. I called Melb Path to make an appointment, because I thought that's what I needed to do with Ds1, from memory. They said I didn't need to make an appointment. Does that sound right? Their website doesn't contradict that advice. I can just show up and they'll be able to give me the drink?

From what I remember... Yes.

Yes for the first test you just go in, no prep and get the drink and blood test.

If you wanted to cut to the chase you could ask if you could have the 2 hour test first up?

I have always had to book in but I am in NSW... I have always done the 75g GTT or OGTT

I just did the GTT at Melb Path & no need to book in, You just rock up first thing in the morning & have the drink :)

I've never booked.

Good luck :)