GTT, bump measuring large, sceptical...

[adlertippa]

Hello all.

I'm 28 weeks pregnant, at today's midwife appt my bump measured >90th percentile for size and the midwife wants to refer me for glucose testing in case of gestational diabetes.

I've been reading around it and talked to a midwife friend since the appt and think I'm coming to the conclusion that I'd rather wait until the next measurement before doing the test. I don't have any risk factors, I've been eating healthily and I'm only 4cm too big. Also the baby's dad is 6'5"! I'm 5'2" and the personalised growth chart is based on my measurements only.

I'm concerned that taking a test may result in a false positive and route me towards medication and a hospital birth (I'm currently hoping for a home birth though of course will consider risk factors). I've had all other recommended antenatal care and work as a healthcare professional myself - I'm just not convinced here.

Anyone got any experience/advice? Thank you x

[amelie427]

No personal experience here, although I know a couple of people who have had it - nether of them fell into the typical categories either.

Yes, there are risk factors - but if you don't fit into any of these, it doesn't mean you're immune - it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong either, it can just happen.

Of course, it could be that you've had a growth spurt, and growth settles again by your next appointment.

I thought that a glucose test was routine at 28 weeks now? Anyway - in my opinion, it's better to be tested, and then if you have it, you can manage it. The midwives are there to look after and advise you. What's putting you off being tested?

[SunshineAllTheWhile]

Hello OP,

I'm currently 32 weeks on second pregnancy and have a little experience that might help. With DS1 I was huge (I'm only 5'2) & measured 4-6 weeks ahead by the fundal height measurements. However, I was also part of a birthweight study so I was having 4D growth scans the whole pregnancy too and they were seeing a completely normal sized baby. So take fundal height measurements with a huge pinch of salt!

It turns out DS1 came out at 6'3 (much smaller than the 8lb predicted by the 4D scans and certainly much smaller than the fundal height measurements indicated).

So this pregnancy I'm having growth scans due to having a smaller than predicted first baby (and fundal height is slightly small this time round too ).

That said I have had the GTT both times (both times negative) and it would be very difficult for it to lead to a false positive as far as I'm aware. Also, it's a very straightforward test.

And even if it came back positive, depending on the result it wouldn't be straight to medication anyway - diet and exercise first and foremost.

So, all in all, I would say a GTT cant hurt (it's not just high BMI risk factors - Angelina Jolie had GD!) but at the same time fundal height doesn't necessarily mean anything!

[SunshineAllTheWhile]

6 lb 3!! Not 6 foot 3...

[JoandMax]

I would have the test, if you do have GD you're better off knowing sooner rather than later....... There are ways of managing it with diet so you wouldn't necessarily go straight to medication.

I ended up having 3 GTT tests with DS2 as I was huge, 7/8 weeks ahead according to measurements. All were negative and he was 10lbs 15oz when born at 38 weeks - massive but no cause found!!

[NonsensicalNonsense]

How would it produce a false positive?! If you do the test now or later it'll be the same result?? I don't get it. Just get it done its just drinking basically lucozade and sitting around for a couple of hours with a couple of blood tests. Get it done

[annlee3817]

One of my NCT friends was very fit an healthy, had no risk factors whatsoever for GD, a tiny bump but it turned out that she had it. She managed it through diet for the remainder of her pregnancy and her baby was tiny at the lower end of 6lbs. I remember being really surprised that she had it.

[peaceloveandbiscuits]

You can't get a false positive - you either have GD or you don't. I've got lots of the risk factors and yet my results came back perfectly normal, and well below the upper limit.

[anotherBadAvatar]

Not quite sure what the big deal is. Baby is measuring big, and you either have GD or you don't.

If you do, better to know now to manage it better for the sake of your baby's health. Most people seem to manage quite well through diet alone, and if you're still hoping for a home birth it would seem sensible to me to get it under control sooner rather than later?

[harleysmammy]

It's literally two blood tests and drinking lucozade, why wouldn't you do the test? The later they catch gd, the harder it is to treat and the more risky it is. Even if you haven't got gd, doing the rest would rule it out and it's not as if you really have to do anything other than down a glass of lucozade and wait 2 hours.

My baby is 7 lb 10 oz at 36 weeks, his stomach is measuring 42 weeks and I have polyhydramnios (big belly on baby and extra fluid is two of the most common symptoms of gd) and I haven't got it but I know full well you can have it without any signs because both my sisters had it without any symptoms at all, not even measuring big and only found out because where we live they do routine gtt tests at 28 weeks. Sorry but I think you'd be a fool not to have it, it's so so so much harder to control if it is left and I don't see why it's such a big deal anyway if it means it's safer for your baby.