What happens if your mum is diagnosed with diabetes whilst your pregnant? Re testing for gestational diabetes

[Frillsandspills]

At my booking appointment my midwife asked all sorts of family history questions and when she asked about diabetes I told her it was only my grandfather that ever had it (I think type 2).

My mum is off for another blood test today to see if she has diabetes as she'd been on the borderline for diabetes apparently, and I'm not sure if it's inevitable she'll end up with diabetes but they're just checking when or whether she'll be fine.

If she does have diabetes, will this mean I have to have a test for gestational diabetes or will it depends on my mums type if she has it?

Just wondering whether i should mention it to my midwife at my next appointment. I will actually mention it to be safe but just wondered if this meant I'm at a higher risk now, or would it depend on the type of diabetes etc, I'm not sure how it works because gestational diabetes hasn't really been mentioned to me since my immediate family hadn't had diabetes at the time of my booking appointment.

TIA

Everyone gets tested for gestational diabetes regardless of their family history. If it runs in the family, they might keep a closer eye on it, or take higher precautions, but it won't make a huge difference.

How long has it been since your booking appointment?

When you have your first set of bloods done, they will do a glucose level test (or whatever it's called), which will show if your levels are normal or not. If your levels were normal, then they won't do further tests until later on in the pregnancy.

When you have to start giving urine samples, one of the things they check for is sugar in the urine, which is a sign of gestational diabetes.

Towards the end of the second trimester (the timing varies where you are I think), they will do a specific blood test for gestational diabetes which involves having a fasting blood test, drinking some sugary glucose crap, then having a second blood test two hours later.

Everyone gets these checks.

Your mother developing diabetes is obviously very upsetting for her and your family, but it really makes bugger all difference to how your pregnancy will be treated. Generally I think they are more interested in close family members having type 1 diabetes.

Thank you goodness my midwife didn't tell me anything at all about gestational diabetes and she forgot to fill in the results of most blood tests in my file so I had no idea really.
A friend told me she was had the diabetes check with the sugary drink because her mum has diabetes (I'm a bit clueless with all this - first pregnancy) so I wondered if that's something that would be done.
Glad it makes no difference that my mum may have it though, that's really reassuring!

Not in the 2 trusts I've had babies; the gtt is only if there are reasons for it. The other checks routine yes.

Mention it OP - they will decide.

In my area you don't get tested routinely... .only if you have risk factors. In my case my bmi was high and I have PCOS. I don't think I'd have been tested solely on a parent having it.

So yes, def mention it to MW but it depends on policy in your area what'll happen after that.

That's not true goodness, every hospital is different.
Tell your midwife OP and they can work out what to do.

Sorry goodness you are completely wrong. GD is related to insulin resistance so it is a family history of Type 2 they are more concerned with (there is not a clear genetic link with Type 1).

Assuming you are in the UK, you will only be tested for GD if you have certain risk factors. High bmi, family history etc.

I would speak to midwife about it and ask to have the GTT even if she isn't formally diagnosed because of her prediabetes (that's what they call borderline results) and your grandfather.

I never had a GTT and the only people I know who did had other risk factors (high BMI, urine tests etc). Tell your midwife but don't worry about it

OP - Apologies, it seems that there is no coherant approach and it depends on the area. What a fucking shambles. Definitely asking your midwife what their policy is, and also - to be honest - making sure that they do their job properly by filling in your results. If you think the midwife you are with is totally useless, then ask to change, and lodge a complaint with the midwife association/hospital.

Even if the blood test isn't routinely offered (which I still find weird), they should still be checking your urine when you give samples (although this isn't quite as effective as the blood test).

poster - there's a genetic link with both types of diabetes. With type 2, whilst genetics play a part, obesity is another huge factor, and obesity tends to run in families in large part due to lifestyle and eating habits.

I had the GTT test and one of my risk factors was that my mum was prediabetic. It wasn't a big deal and I did not have gestational diabetes. Not even close. It is worth mentioning it to midwife so they keep a closer eye.

Thanks everyone. I had no idea my mum had prediabetes at all til a few weeks ago and it didn't occur to me that I should mention it to the midwife til my mum reminded me today so I'll definitely mention it, for peace of mind if anything.

goodness a friend of mine has the same midwife and finds her useless. I think she's a lovely lady (I could chat to her for hours) but when I seen another midwife because she wasn't available, she had sorted my file out and filled everything in which is the only reason I realised things were missing, hoping it may just be a one off though as she's lovely, but it might be worth mentioning to someone!

goodness, my point is that a family/genetic history of type 1 isn't a risk factor for GD.

I am testament to the fact that there is a strong genetic component to GD aside from lifestyle and obesity. I am healthy and have bmi of 20, but have been prediabetic since my early 30s and have had GD in both pregnancies. My mother and grandmother were the same and developed type 2 in their 40s.

There are so many different studies of genetic links in type one diabetes, I think to generalize and say there is NO link is incorrect.

My father and uncle are identical twins. My uncle developed type 1 in his mid twenties. My father did not. At one point there were scientists in this particular field coming over from places like the USA and Europe just to study WHY my dad didn't have it, even with pretty much identical DNA. It was only last year (they are both 76 now) that my dad developed type 1, which he's been told is very, very rare.

Basically what I'm saying is there's a lot we still don't understand about the condition! I've been told by my consultant that I AM at risk now with my current pregnancy.

But hey ho- I'll just do the tests and deal with it if it happens! There's a lot worse things out there...

I suspect that the genetic importance is not just how many relatives/how close had it, but what age (and what GGG says, whether any predisposing lifestyle factors came into it). Someone who generally has an active life etc. but develops it in 30s/40s, is more likely to be significant than a relative who gets it in their 70s after years of poor diet. (Which is why I don't count my paternal granddad among my diabetic relatives. He developed it in his 80s, while his body was generally going downhill, having enjoyed a daily fry-up and quoth my dad, "was bigger round than he was tall". His pancreas seems to have been quite heroic in the circumstances!)