Refused GTT?

[Moonchild23]

My midwife said I’ll need to have the gestational diabetes test because my Dad has type 2 - completely lifestyle related!
I’m feeling reluctant because at my booking in my BMI was normal (not that that means any thorn either!) and I’ve not gained much weight or have any diabetes symptoms.
I know many will say what’s the harm but aren’t the tests notoriously inaccurate? I don’t want an inaccurate result impacting the possibility of the birth I want.

You need to get tested, don't refuse it. Think of the health of your unborn child, undiagnosed GD is very dangerous and can cause many complications.

It's better to know if you have it or not, I didn't think I would have it but I do. Me and baby are monitored much more closely because of this.

Having the birth you want won't happen by ignoring the risks and not having the test.

Worst case scenario with having GD is still birth. Why would you not do everything in your power to avoid that?

It often comes with no symptoms whatsoever and isn't based on size/weight.

I refused it, still didn't get the birth I wanted due to pre eclampsia ( not GD related)

@Moonchild23 your links to studies don't talk about the effectiveness of the test, they talk about how it doesn't matter if it's all women tested or only high risk, the number who test positive is similar.

Did you have the 20 week anomaly scan which could have flagged an issue requiring consultant care? Have you had urine tests at each midwife appointment to rule out UTIs? Are you having blood pressure checks at each midwife appointment to rule of preeclampsia? All of these tests could flag up something that would mean your birth isn't what you want it to be. You haven't said that you are refusing these so why refuse GTT test. You say you have no symptoms so the test may show up nothing OR it will show up that you have GD with no symptoms which could cause massive issues later.

If you can find valid studies published in medical journals about how unreliable or unsafe the test is then please share.

Remember it is an OFFER of the test. You are well within your rights to decline any test or intervention. I personally refused it (offered due to age) and in your circumstance I probably would too. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the cut-offs for diagnosing GD, it's not terribly clear cut. If you do choose to have the test, just go into it armed with facts.

I had no risk factors for gestational diabetes. Had had 2 DC already, no gestational diabetes in those pregnancies. Normal BMI and no family history of diabetes.

I got gestational diabetes, which was identified because I developed another condition associated with it, not because I had the GTT.

GD is caused by hormones produced by the placenta. You may be more likely to get it if you were overweight to begin with but it isn't only overweight people who get it.

If you are offered the GTT, I would certainly take it. In my case, if my GD had been identified sooner, it could have saved me weeks of stress worrying about the effects of the associated condition I developed.

As others have said, you may well not get the birth you would ideally like anyway. It doesn't work like that. And isn't what you really want just a healthy baby and minimum risk to you?

Taking the test and not having it won't affect how and where you can give birth.

Well I didn't have GD. I still didn't get the birth I planned with either child.

For the sake of sitting in a bloody hospital for two hours, just go and get it done. The worst thing that can happen is you might need insulin if it's really severe and can't be managed with diet alone and you might be recommended to be induced early. But these are conversations you can have with your consultant if it gets to that point.

As someone who has actually been there in the delivery room getting wheeled off for an emergency c-section thinking that they and their baby are going to die, I think you are being naive.

Undiagnosed GD carries a risk of stillbirth, why risk it?

I understand that you think your DF's lifestyle is the cause of his diabetes (and this means it's less of a risk factor) but lots of people are overweight and/or lead unhealthy lifestyles WITHOUT developing diabetes. The fact your DF has developed it perhaps suggests a tendency (genetic or otherwise) in that direction (hence the link between developing gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes in later life).

Obviously no test is compulsory and it's completely up to you whether you have it. I found it to be a bit boring but not wildly difficult or unpleasant. Incidentally I have a BMI over 30 but have tested negative for GD in both pregnancies. If you test positive you would monitor your blood sugar regularly which would presumably identify an erroneous positive result quite quickly.

You mention OCD, have you got some support for that in the pregnancy? My concern is that you seem to have quite a fixed idea of the sort of birth you want and the trouble with pregnancy is that it is so unpredictable, there are lots of reasons why things might not go how you would ideally like and I think it really helps to try and keep an open mind. I ended up with an emcs in my first pregnancy. It wasn't what I planned but it was fine and we are both ok as a result.

I firmly believe that the feeling of "failure" that some women feel after birth comes from having a very fixed, idealised expectation of what their birth will be. Obviously it's fine to have a plan of sorts but I also think it's important to mentally prepare for a variety of possible outcomes and try to be ok with the possibility of things not going to plan.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

OP of the two articles you've selected there, one is about which method of screening is most effective, universal v risk factor led, with an inconclusive finding, due in part to the fact that neither of the studies considered looked at birth or post birth outcomes. The second is an article written by someone who has selected research and studies based on the point they want to make. It is not peer reviewed research in it's own right and it would be just as easy to find similar articles supporting the importance of screening for gestational diabetes.

Additionally you may not get the birth you want, whatever happens. I didn't and many of the women on these boards didn't, and that had nothing to do with whether or not we had screening tests for this or that. However, the more data you have about your baby's health situation, the more informed your medical team can be in managing whatever birth your baby decides to have. Obviously the decision is yours in the end, but I've always felt it's better to know what you're dealing with.

If you are worried about the test with sugar liquid, I’m allergic to oranges and the drink Is orange based. I’m having the starvation test done, which I have also been told is a lot my accurate. Maybe ask your midwife if can have that test if you would prefer