Gestational diabetes

[ggglimpopo]

Anyone have any experience of this?

Can it be stress related?

What are the implications?

just to add GGG nice don't recommend screening for GD as there is no evidence that it has any effect on outcomes (ie knowing you have high blood sugar as a pregnancy event doesn't mean that anything bad will happen)
some ob's and midwives don't believe there is any such thing
Lisa X

i cup fed both of mine formula for 24 hours. though actually their blood sugars were never that low. but it kept paeds off my back . i went onto breastfeed ds for 6 months & dd for 18 months.

hunker

GGG - I had GD with both pgs. I tried to control it with diet alone but ended up insulin dependant. I felt healthy throughout pgs. I was induced at 38 weeks with both.

I was monitored and scanned fortnightly and both dds were of average size. (7lb 10oz and 7lb 12oz)

Hunker - I didn't know that you had GD, another ailment we share(d)!

GGG - I tried to BF but was a complete wus and let them FF DS and then had no support to BF (after CS) so gave up which is the one thing i completely and utterly regret so stick to your guns !!!! DS was and still is (just turned 3) completely fine though although I am apparently very likely to develop type 2 diabetes at some point

Just to refer to Jamilia's post - I'm afraid GD certainly does exist and large birth weight along with additional strain on babies developing organs in utero is just a couple of the "risks" of GD so it should be taken seriously.......

i have gest diabetes, the more you have it in close relations the more likely you are to have it. my mom and grandparents have it.

its not stress related as far as i am aware and i you can have a larger baby if you do have it.

i am at present 37+4 but i am measuring 1 week ahead

xx

I think NICE do recommend screening for gestational diabetes. They reccomend that everyone have a random blood test at 28 weeks, higher risk women should also have an earlier one at 20 weeks.

However NICE guidelines do say that midwives shouldn't be testing urine for glucosurea as the presence of glucose in urine during pregnancy is physiologically normal for many women due to the body haveing a decreased tolerance for glucose when pregnant. The majority of m/ws (inc myself) do still test though as we have to test for protein and the tests are all on the same stip. However if the woman just has one incidence of glucose then I wouldn't do a blood test, if two occassions then I would and have picked it up in such circumstances.

There is an arguement that perhaps it is normal for women to have higher glucose levels in pregnancy but nothing proven. There was a large trial done i nAustralia a few years ago where they had 2 groups of women with gd - one group was treated (diet, blod sugars, insulin if needed, growth scans), the other group wasn't treated and hte information wasn't even made available to their m/w or obstetrician. The incidence of morbidity and mortality in the untreated group was mch higher so I'd rather it was screened for and treated.

Link to Nice guideline for antenatal care
guidance.nice.org.uk/CG6/niceguidance/pdf/English
see item 1.9.1.1

Thank you all. Had the blood test at 28 weeks. Will do second set of tests tomorrow and see what happens.

The antenatal guidelines are nearly 5 years old and I believe are currently being revised. NICE published their draft Pregnancy and Diabetes guidelines last month and they do recommend screening.
RCOG guidelines also recommend screening.

Totally sympathise with the lack of BF support in France. I was shocked at the way the issue was dealt with in the maternité where I gave birth. Friends claim all the nurses get commission in the form of free holidays financed by the formula companies, hence their speed in suggesting bottles are needed. Stand up to them, ggg!

Sorry for banging on SKSS,but as you'll find, i'm a bit of a research nerd The wording in the soon to be published guideline is 'screening using risk factors is recommended' so the 24-28 week test is recommended if you:
have a bmi greater than 30
have previously had GD
have had a baby weighing more than 4.5 kg
have a close family family member with type 1 or 2 diabetes
are from a high risk ethnic group (South asian,black carribbean,or chinese)
I did see the draft on a link from SMS but it's not in force yet so didn't want to confuse matters
guidance.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=451647
Lisa X

how were your second set of blood tests gggp?

Does anyone know, if your results are clear at 28 weeks, is there any likelihood of you still developing it later in the pg? I guess with a BMI of over 30 and a father with type 2 I can't quite believe it was all ok...