Do I REALLY have to have a glucose test?

[StarshitTerrorise]

BMI is 31 and baby measuring big for dates. 35cm at 33 weeks.

How reliable is the test? How necessary is it?

Birthing unit insisting.

Cheese :-( I remember your DD well and your terrible in laws. Have you since had another? I think we were on GD thread together.

OP my friend had a stillborn, DS normal pregnancy and was recently diagnosed with GD - no risk indicators on third pregnancy.

It is worth taking test regardless of how difficult it is. You can then weigh up options.

Fwiw I was diagnosed GD, managed it with diet and had waterbirth after discussing risks.

Ps frequent namechsnger!

For goodness sake, take you other children with you and get it done.

You may not care about your health, but you are currently responsible for another life; although you don't seem to care about that.

I would definitely have the test. I had the test last week although I was feeling absolutely fantastic healthwise, and it turns out I do have gestational diabetes. I am managing to control it (so far!) by making small changes to my diet and checking my blood sugar 4 times per day. This is such an easy thing to do, and will lower the risks for your child's development now, let alone during the birth.

What options are there for tests relating to GD?

Does it for instance have to be the GTT, or can a simple glucose, or fasting glucose blood test be done?

If it is a simple blood test, it ought to be able to be done at a regular midwife/GP/nurse appointment which the original poster may be able to have done at a convient time.

Spirited, that's what the GTT is, fasting and post glucose bloods.

Hambles, I'm afraid the NHS do indeed spend money for the hell of it on dubious 'interventions' and tests. My disabled DS has been a victim of this repeatedly.

Starfish that is very unfair. I care about both my own AND my baby's health very much. My DS I'd disabled and my daughter is currently in confinement. I am not refusing the test just trying to gather enough information to weigh up the consequences of getting it done versus not and the implications of the information.

The birth centre is in a different hospital trust. My own trust has the same information about me but has not requested I test, which makes me query the purpose/necessity.

lagoon yes! Baby Ella is 11 weeks tomorrow! She had to be induced and was born at 34 weeks. 2 weeks in scbu and then came home :o photos on my profile

Still birth is a terribly sad thing :( of course we should take steps to avoid it where possible.

However I think it is unfair to accuse someone of not caring about her baby just because she is taking the time to find out if a proceedure is necessary in her circumstances.

I understand that those who have lost babies due to complications of GD are wanting to make sure the original poster is aware of how serious the condition is, so that she understands the possible consequences of not taking the test and possibly having undiagnosed and untreated GD.

But women can find themselves guilted into proceedures they don't want, necessary or not, by someone saying they are putting their baby at risk (however small a risk that is). It is appropriate for a woman to find out exactly what the benefits of a proceedure are and exactly what the associated risks are in their particular circumstances before consenting/refusing consent. She was just coming here to get that information.

Its clear her concerns about the logistics of making the appointment have made her seem hard-hearted to some who have lost babies, but its just her innocence of the situation. Like the person in another post who wanted their children to come to their ultrasound scan, she maybe just assumed everthing would be fine. Those who have had difficult experiences with GD or at 20 week scans see things differently because they know what can go wrong.

I will be about to have my 3rd GTT. I have to have them due to a family history. Pluse my BMI is now high. It is a pain. 2 1/2 hours, petrol, parking etc and breakfast club for dc. However, I wolud never consider refusing them. I would want it to be diagnosed and treated if I do develop it.

Speak to your midwife, as I got my glucose test done at my GP's. It's not usual to get it done a GP's and if they agree to it, make sure you get instructions and the glucose liquid from them. The downside to this is that if you have GD, you will have to a make an appointment with the hospital anyway for diet and maybe insulin advice.

Completely understand your circumstances, explain this to MW and GP - but please do get it done. If you do have GD and need insulin, you are best in the hospital as you will need IV insulin and to be closely monitered, again speak with midwife re concerns / fears regarding your other pregnancy and potentially going into hospital again.

Fingers crossed you don't have GD - best wishes for yor birth, nearly there now :)

I know what the GTT is, I suppose I was asking if GD requires the GTT to be done at a long hospital appointment in order to get the diagnosis. As opposed to popping into GP surgery nurse for a fasting glucose test first thing one morning, and/or having a regular test another day without fasting.

I only ask because my husband was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and only needed to have blood tests at our GP surgery by a practice nurse. Obviously for a fasting blood test you need a morning appointment but otherwise getting appointments at a GP surgery are perhaps more likely to be convient?

So I suppose I'm asking if there is something specific about GD that it needs to be GTT (two blood tests seperated by sugar and a bit of time) and if there is something specific about having the GTT appointment that it would need to be done at a hospital.

I just wondered if the logistics of the tests could be made easier so that she could both have the tests and not have to arrange childcare. Just wondered as I have the ability to have my thyroid blood tests done at either the GP or the midwife led unit (both happen to be equally convient for me) so wondered if maybe these glucose tests were also flexible about who takes them.

spirited the gtt is needed as it checks how well you process sugar rather than just how much is in your blood

Okay, so now I am tears. The birth unit have tried to compromise and summoned me to a diabetes talk on Monday where they will give me sticks to pee/bleed on. If I attend they won't insist on GTT.

They also want an urgent scan.

They've missed the point, though they have tried. If I can get to a 'talk' I can get to a GTT. And there is no way I can arrange childcare for Monday.

And I do know enough about scans to know they can be wildly inaccurate anyway. But having said that, I was a reluctant agreeer to the ones I had given the nature I'd my ds' disability.

My situation is highly complex as I don't have a midwife or GP locally. I moved house today.

Which is why childcare is complex. I know no-one here I coukd ask to help. My daughter is not allowed to leave the house as she had her tonsils out yesterday. DS may well just NOT leave the house.

GD nearly killed me and my twins and resulted in an EMCS at 31 weeks. Whatever you do GET TESTED!!!!!

Ask for community midwife to visit to do bloods at home to do bloods. She can return. 2 hrs later to do bloods again.

Whats your childcare for labour?

star I know its not easy for you for many reasons but you have to put yourself first sometimes!!...your kids wont suffer unduly over 1 day out of routine. The money is an issue, obv, but if it prevents possibly serious complications more than worth it, surely?

Just because you are an experienced mum and have been pg before, dont let that blind you to possible problems x

Don't have a community midwife. Don't even have a GP yet, but when I do, midwife will be a different trust from one trying to give birth in. New trust won't have me because they say they are full, but they haven't got a suitable birth centre anyway.

Childcare for labour is my mum will come and stay the week before (lives 300 miles away) Or I'll birth on my own whilst DH looks after kids.

star good idea re: local midwife...surely if you or you dh rang and explained your situation they would come out and do your bloods? Not sure what you could so about the scan......

Didnt realise dd was post op atm. Isnt dh around?

cant you ring local GP practise and explain? Or get a friend to if you are too upset?

Thanks bec. I'm trying to figure out if I can register with a gp online here and then I'll surf childcare.co.uk to see if I can find someone to help out a couple of times before I leave the kids with them. Might be a useful contact for the future when babe arrives anyway.

Then I'll try and book a GTT test. If that comes back negative (which tbh I expect) then absolutely no need for a scan.

Can't do any of this stuff before Monday though, not least because we've been given 10 days for Internet connection.

It will be a bad day for you re childcare, I can see that. But its only one day and you will survive.

The sticks you wee or bleed on are reliable. Can your gp do it?

They test non pg people for diabetes all the time after all.

Dh flies off for a week conference on Sun!

Cheese she is gorgeous. Congratulations x