Gestational Diabetes Test
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scienceteacherAK
Posts: 94 Member
Hi Ladies- rant here- I just went through with my one hour GTT and my number came out to be 131. My midwife now says I have to go back in for a two hour test.
Apparently some offices use 140 as their cutoff? I asked my office when they called and they said they have patients re-test if theirs is above 127.
Ugh- so now I have to use a half of a sick day, get a sub, and go in tomorrow at 7 am because they feel the need to lower their threshold? It is not the drink, it is the inconvenience of it all. I know it is best for baby, but... seriously?
What experience do you have with this?
Apparently some offices use 140 as their cutoff? I asked my office when they called and they said they have patients re-test if theirs is above 127.
Ugh- so now I have to use a half of a sick day, get a sub, and go in tomorrow at 7 am because they feel the need to lower their threshold? It is not the drink, it is the inconvenience of it all. I know it is best for baby, but... seriously?
What experience do you have with this?
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Replies
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At my practice, you have to take the test twice. I took the one hour at 8 weeks and failed it. And I was taking Metformin at the time for my PCOS. I took the three hour and passed. It is long. Very, very long.
I have to take the three hour again on Monday. I have myself convinced I have GD and will fail.
I have heard of tons of women who failed one hour and passed three hour so I'm sure you are fine. I don't know what my # was.0 -
My first pregnancy:
The 1 hour came back at 152 - Failed.
The 3 hour came back at 73, 102, 109, 81 - Passed
This pregnancy:
The 1 hour came back at 157 - Failed
The 3 hour came back at 81, 140, 120, 72 - Passed
My OB said that nearly half of her patients fail the first test and have to be retested. I agree that the whole thing is a hassle and time consuming. I thought I was going to lose. my. darn. mind. when I was doing the three hour one. Good luck! (:0 -
I failed my one hour test by 5 points. I failed 2 of the 4 tests during the 3 hr test by like 7 and 12 points (it was barely a fail). So I was officially diagnosed with GD. Neither my OB or my nutritionist are 100% sure that I actually have it though.
The test was an inconvenience, yes. But I can honestly say it's been super easy to control by eating every 2-3 hrs (I do the finger prick test at home 4x a day to see if any foods cause a blood sugar spike.). The best thing that came out of this, is that I haven't gained any weight since the diagnosis. Seriously. I weigh the same (+/- 1 lb variance) starting out week 37 as I did week 29!
All I can say, is, it is what it is. Even if you do fail it's not the end of the world. Bring something to do during your testing. They made me sit the entire 3 hours. I got up to use the bathroom about 15 times just so I could move!! And I watched several episodes of New Girl on my ipad thanks to the hospital wifi!0 -
I never take it, I refuse because I get so sick when pregnant I would never be able to keep the stuff down. My Dr has me test my blood by finger poke with a glucometer for a week. That sucks that they can move their threshold on a whim, I'd be mad too, it is not a fun test.0
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You know I don't understand this. Yes I can understand if you are testing >200 then sure it's possible there is a need for insulin, but <130 just diet and exercise. Makes no sense I guess they want to absolutely sure.
I have talked to both my OB and nurse practioner. I'm not taking the test unless my finger sticks are >120 fasting or >200 post prandial. I'm just following the GD diet and going with the assumption I am diabetic.0 -
You know I don't understand this. Yes I can understand if you are testing >200 then sure it's possible there is a need for insulin, but <130 just diet and exercise. Makes no sense I guess they want to absolutely sure.
I have talked to both my OB and nurse practioner. I'm not taking the test unless my finger sticks are >120 fasting or >200 post prandial. I'm just following the GD diet and going with the assumption I am diabetic.
Wow, your OB is very lenient compared to mine! If I'm over 95 fasting or 130 1 hr after a meal....it's insulin for me. My GD nurse & nutritionist both explained the threshold during pregnancy is way lower than in non-pregnant women. Even with my low sugar levels, it appears I'm on trend to have a 9 lb baby.0 -
You know I don't understand this. Yes I can understand if you are testing >200 then sure it's possible there is a need for insulin, but <130 just diet and exercise. Makes no sense I guess they want to absolutely sure.
I have talked to both my OB and nurse practioner. I'm not taking the test unless my finger sticks are >120 fasting or >200 post prandial. I'm just following the GD diet and going with the assumption I am diabetic.
Wow, your OB is very lenient compared to mine! If I'm over 95 fasting or 130 1 hr after a meal....it's insulin for me. My GD nurse & nutritionist both explained the threshold during pregnancy is way lower than in non-pregnant women. Even with my low sugar levels, it appears I'm on trend to have a 9 lb baby.
That's what I've thought, and I am an RD, LOL!, but so far haven't scheduled me for a tolerance test, and my OB is less conservative then my nurse pract. Baby's weight so far is tracking right with the predicted due date, but we will see I have 8 more weeks. In the mean time, just following the diabetic diet.0 -
I didn't have gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy but was diagnosed with it in my second pregnancy. I am really hoping that all the weight I've lost over the last 9 months is enough to keep me from being diagnosed with this pregnancy as well.
My numbers for my second pregnancy:
1 hour screen = 181 (standard range: 65 - 139) = fail
My OB decided to only do a 2 hour screen rather than a 3 and here are those numbers:
Fasting = 86 (standard range: 65 - 99) = pass
1 hour = 184 (standard range: 65 - 199) = pass
2 hour = 134 (standard range: 65 - 139) = pass
So how I was diagnosed with GD in my second pregnancy I couldn't tell you and I've been bitter about that diagnosis since it happened (at the time I did not have access to my exact numbers, this has changed over the last year and I've been super pissed about it)0 -
I didn't have gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy but was diagnosed with it in my second pregnancy. I am really hoping that all the weight I've lost over the last 9 months is enough to keep me from being diagnosed with this pregnancy as well.
My numbers for my second pregnancy:
1 hour screen = 181 (standard range: 65 - 139) = fail
My OB decided to only do a 2 hour screen rather than a 3 and here are those numbers:
Fasting = 86 (standard range: 65 - 99) = pass
1 hour = 184 (standard range: 65 - 199) = pass
2 hour = 134 (standard range: 65 - 139) = pass
So how I was diagnosed with GD in my second pregnancy I couldn't tell you and I've been bitter about that diagnosis since it happened (at the time I did not have access to my exact numbers, this has changed over the last year and I've been super pissed about it)
Oh my gosh- that would have made me incredibly mad! Not that the GD diet is bad or anything, but seriously, I really do think that so many doctors have to deal with malpractice suits that we are all assumed to have something "just in case".
What did people do before the glucose test, I ask??? Because none of my friends or older family members ever had to worry about it and things all turned out A-Okay.0 -
I work with babies and toddlers and I've met lots of babies whose mothers had undiagnosed GD and the babies were GIANT. And this can cause issues other than them just being large - if the doctor mistakenly decides to do vaginal instead of a C-section even though the baby is big, their shoulders can become dislocated, which causes lasting nerve damage. That's the only thing that makes me nervous. (and yes, I do have the worst job ever for a pregnant woman).0
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I work with babies and toddlers and I've met lots of babies whose mothers had undiagnosed GD and the babies were GIANT. And this can cause issues other than them just being large - if the doctor mistakenly decides to do vaginal instead of a C-section even though the baby is big, their shoulders can become dislocated, which causes lasting nerve damage. That's the only thing that makes me nervous. (and yes, I do have the worst job ever for a pregnant woman).
Okay.. that is scary. Very scary.0 -
I didn't have gestational diabetes with my first pregnancy but was diagnosed with it in my second pregnancy. I am really hoping that all the weight I've lost over the last 9 months is enough to keep me from being diagnosed with this pregnancy as well.
My numbers for my second pregnancy:
1 hour screen = 181 (standard range: 65 - 139) = fail
My OB decided to only do a 2 hour screen rather than a 3 and here are those numbers:
Fasting = 86 (standard range: 65 - 99) = pass
1 hour = 184 (standard range: 65 - 199) = pass
2 hour = 134 (standard range: 65 - 139) = pass
So how I was diagnosed with GD in my second pregnancy I couldn't tell you and I've been bitter about that diagnosis since it happened (at the time I did not have access to my exact numbers, this has changed over the last year and I've been super pissed about it)
Oh my gosh- that would have made me incredibly mad! Not that the GD diet is bad or anything, but seriously, I really do think that so many doctors have to deal with malpractice suits that we are all assumed to have something "just in case".
What did people do before the glucose test, I ask??? Because none of my friends or older family members ever had to worry about it and things all turned out A-Okay.
I also have to point out that he kept throwing around scare-tactics talking about how my baby was going to be OMGHUGE and wanting to take him at 36 weeks. My son was born at 39 weeks and was exactly 7 lbs. I could've killed my doctor.0 -
The first hospital I gave birth at, every kept saying, "oh you had GD" because my baby was 10lbs. No. I didn't. The next hospital just had a better atmosphere so when I pushed out an 11lb baby, they just said way to go! Also no GD.I work with babies and toddlers and I've met lots of babies whose mothers had undiagnosed GD and the babies were GIANT. And this can cause issues other than them just being large - if the doctor mistakenly decides to do vaginal instead of a C-section even though the baby is big, their shoulders can become dislocated, which causes lasting nerve damage. That's the only thing that makes me nervous. (and yes, I do have the worst job ever for a pregnant woman).
The majority of shoulder dystocia occurs with small babies, though. There, that should ease your mind! :P0 -
The first hospital I gave birth at, every kept saying, "oh you had GD" because my baby was 10lbs. No. I didn't. The next hospital just had a better atmosphere so when I pushed out an 11lb baby, they just said way to go! Also no GD.I work with babies and toddlers and I've met lots of babies whose mothers had undiagnosed GD and the babies were GIANT. And this can cause issues other than them just being large - if the doctor mistakenly decides to do vaginal instead of a C-section even though the baby is big, their shoulders can become dislocated, which causes lasting nerve damage. That's the only thing that makes me nervous. (and yes, I do have the worst job ever for a pregnant woman).
The majority of shoulder dystocia occurs with small babies, though. There, that should ease your mind! :P
Yeah, sometimes I wonder how many of those situations of undiagnosed GD aren't them saying "Well the baby was big so the mom must've had GD even though we didn't catch it" and not just a naturally big baby.0 -
GD is not real diabetes. The method for testing does not mimic real life. You can completely turn down this test; it's a useless one. As long as you are eating well and getting some light exercise, you're basically fine. What is your concern and why are you even testing for this?
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/06/gestational-diabetes-emperor-has-no.html?m=1Hi Ladies- rant here- I just went through with my one hour GTT and my number came out to be 131. My midwife now says I have to go back in for a two hour test.
Apparently some offices use 140 as their cutoff? I asked my office when they called and they said they have patients re-test if theirs is above 127.
Ugh- so now I have to use a half of a sick day, get a sub, and go in tomorrow at 7 am because they feel the need to lower their threshold? It is not the drink, it is the inconvenience of it all. I know it is best for baby, but... seriously?
What experience do you have with this?0 -
I work with babies and toddlers and I've met lots of babies whose mothers had undiagnosed GD and the babies were GIANT. And this can cause issues other than them just being large - if the doctor mistakenly decides to do vaginal instead of a C-section even though the baby is big, their shoulders can become dislocated, which causes lasting nerve damage. That's the only thing that makes me nervous. (and yes, I do have the worst job ever for a pregnant woman).
Okay.. that is scary. Very scary.
That's why medical staff use it as a scare tactic on women. It sounds scary, doesn't it?
This is why women need to do their own research and not just rely on medical staff. Read the works of Henci Goer, Ina May Gaskin, Marsden Wagner, etc... Make sure you have a complete education and not just what the medical establishment is selling.0 -
Good read. I just returned from my midwife's office and she really couldn't back up any of her answers to my questions without using scare tactics. This is my first baby so I really don't know what to expect at appointments... thus going through with the darn thing.
I am just so annoyed. I did the two hour and my numbers came back as 77/163/158. The third number was high by three points, so now I am "officially" GD (though only according to one set of thresholds. According to others I would have passed). My midwife acted like there is no difference between "barely" passing and being diabetic.
I asked them to prick my finger there (just about 2.5 hours after eating a huge meal, complete with 2 large cookies). My number was 80.
I will be seeing a different provider now, thank you very much.GD is not real diabetes. The method for testing does not mimic real life. You can completely turn down this test; it's a useless one. As long as you are eating well and getting some light exercise, you're basically fine. What is your concern and why are you even testing for this?
http://www.drmomma.org/2010/06/gestational-diabetes-emperor-has-no.html?m=1Hi Ladies- rant here- I just went through with my one hour GTT and my number came out to be 131. My midwife now says I have to go back in for a two hour test.
Apparently some offices use 140 as their cutoff? I asked my office when they called and they said they have patients re-test if theirs is above 127.
Ugh- so now I have to use a half of a sick day, get a sub, and go in tomorrow at 7 am because they feel the need to lower their threshold? It is not the drink, it is the inconvenience of it all. I know it is best for baby, but... seriously?
What experience do you have with this?0 -
Scienceteacher - how do you feel? I was just diagnosed with GD on Tuesday but I can tell you that I really do have it. I feel weird after I eat sometimes. I had read that there's not really any "symptoms" per se but I know I felt weird and one of my co workers who also had it felt weird as well. I am also tired all the time - more tired than I think I should be at 30 weeks!
I am going to the GD specialist on Monday but my co worker gave me some pointers as far as what they told her with diet and I've been following those. It probably won't hurt to do the diet but if you don't really have it, you could do without the finger pricking and all that nonsense!0 -
How long after completing the initial test did it take for your doctor to provide your results? I took the test Monday, and haven't heard anything. Just wondering if the results take a while...0
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The first hospital I gave birth at, every kept saying, "oh you had GD" because my baby was 10lbs. No. I didn't. The next hospital just had a better atmosphere so when I pushed out an 11lb baby, they just said way to go! Also no GD.I work with babies and toddlers and I've met lots of babies whose mothers had undiagnosed GD and the babies were GIANT. And this can cause issues other than them just being large - if the doctor mistakenly decides to do vaginal instead of a C-section even though the baby is big, their shoulders can become dislocated, which causes lasting nerve damage. That's the only thing that makes me nervous. (and yes, I do have the worst job ever for a pregnant woman).
The majority of shoulder dystocia occurs with small babies, though. There, that should ease your mind! :P
I am not sure where you are getting your info from but from what I have learnt in my training for being a RN, shoulder dystocia does tend to occur in larger babies. Also from my own experience with my son who was 8 lb 11 oz. we had a hard time getting his shoulders out (he is also broad like my husband). Thanx to my great experienced midwife we were able to maneuver his shoulder out safely.0
