GTT question, got one next week and clueless!

[EsmeWeatherwax]

I have to go for a GTT next week at 28 weeks, and the hospital did tell me at the time what I needed to do in the way of fasting etc before it. Since that was at 12 weeks I have completely forgotten though! Can anybody tell me what's the procedure? Cheers!

Sorry - I don't know what that stands for! Is it a scan?

Hi there
I had my GTT at 28 weeks as well. You need to fast from midnight the night before and only drink water until the end of the GTT. With me, they took blood as soon as I arrived (that gives them your fasting glucose count). They then give you a disgusting glucose drink which you need to sip (drink lots of water at the same time as it's very strong!) and then they take your blood again 2 hours later. That gives them the post-glucose count. The two counts together show them how effectively your body is handling the glucose load.
Hope this helps!

Glucose Tolerance Test. To test for diabetes in pregnancy.

I've had 2. You go in fasting. They take a fasting blood sample then give you a glucose drink and take a further 2 (I think) blood samples to measure the glucose levels. From what I remember you are there for 2-3 hours. I felt pretty washed out for the rest of the day which I gather is common.

Hope all goes well for you, Esme

Thanks HazzaB, and thanks for the good wishes Ceolas.

Although not looking forward to being in the clinic for three hours! Didn't know it took that long.

excellent link, see C. Testing and Gestational Diabetes

Klaw, that really is an excellent link. I find it very interesting that it discusses the tendancy to view babies who are over the 90th centile for weight to be products of under-controlled GD, whilst making no allowance for length. I am having the GTT because me last baby was 8lbs 9oz, which the consultant described as chunky, however, she is way over the top of the cetiles for length, (and is actually fairly skinny,) which is only natural as both dh and I are over 6 foot tall!

I'd rather have the test than not anyway, as I have been feeling some symptoms of what could be GD in this pregnancy, but this really annoys me...Quite often I got a hard time from the HV last time cos dd was on the 98th centile for weight, and every time I had to get her to measure dd's height as well, which was always well over the 100th centile.

Goodness, how many typing mistakes can you make in one post

My first was 8lb 10.25oz and 53cm. No-one ever suggested GD might have been a issue and if your dd was long/is tall then I would assume a GTT merely because of her birth weight is actually unnecessary

I'm pretty much in agreement with you there I have to say, and if I hadn't been feeling so very tired and thirsty all the time in this pregnancy I would have said no to it. I still don't think it will be an issue at all, but I suppose its better to be safe than sorry.

I have a gtt 2mrw. As my last dd was 8lbs 13oz but i never had to have one when pg with her and my first dd was 9lbs 13oz!

Both where long babies even tho dd2 was over 8lbs she was thin and long im 5'6 and dp is 5'8 so not exactly short.

I will post how i get on, im not really bothered about the testing just the amount of time i have to wait around

I had my 3rd GTT last week and I have always been told to fast from 9pm the night before have gone in for 8.45-9am when they have taken blood then given me the nasty nasty drink then had to wait 2 hours for them to take more blood at which point I was then allowed to eat and drink as normal.

Ohh and yes I have always felt really washed out and rubbish for teh rest of the day so just be aware this may be the case.

HTH
Claire xXx

My letter says fast from midnight and my appt is 9am thank god!! i dont think i could cope fasting from 9 i need my late night snack lol

Have you been given the powder for the drink? For mine I had to fast from midnight, drink the drink at 7am within 5 minutes and have bloods taken at 9am.

Esme - if you are happy to have it then go ahead but I refused GTT in two pregnancies because I viewed it as a totally unwarrented intervention. My BMI put me at increased risk supposedly. We asked the consultant to show us the evidence that screening based on birth weight of previous babies/maternal BMI improved outcomes for babies and he couldn't - because there isn't any. So I told him to forget it and was supported in doing so by our midwife. It seems to be a thing that our local hospital goes very big on - and as a result they have a lot of women on a strict pathway, with more interventions and a higher c-section rate than average. In due course I delivered dd3 - very healthy and 14 ounces lighter than her sister - not the huge baby who would get stuck that my consultant had darkly predicted if I didn't have a GTT So what I'm basically saying is that if you feel you need the test then that's all good - but I fear it is far too often regarded as a necessary part of pregnancy and it isn't.

I will refuse it if it's suggested this time round. I had a 10lber and everyone was very jittery thrugh the next pregnancy. She was 8lbs 9oz.

Unless there are any other factors such as glucose in my urine I shan't be entertaining it again.

Esme, I was wary of suggesting you decline this test as I shouldn't impose my own views but other MNers have given very good reasons so I thought I'd state my reasons for suggesting that you might like to reconsider.

Do you really want to suffer that day with feeling shite washed out when pg? Do the percieved benefits outweigh the risks? You say better safe than sorry but in the absense of real risk factors are you really at risk? what are the symptoms you are concerned about?

Obviously, if taking the test will put your mind at ease then perhaps it's worth it. But as NorthernLurker says pregnancy and childbirth is far too over medicalised. I'd really like to see the interventions kept for when they are truly needed rather than being used routinely.

So make an informed decision as to whether you accept GTT, after all it's not compulsory

Klaw, I was concerned about the fact that I was always feeling very tired, and very thirsty a lot of the time, but then I've had horrible morning sickness the whole time too, so that could probably account for that. TBH I spend most of my pg days feeling shite! (i swear this is my last one!) Its something I'd like to rule out anyway.

I would defintely agreeabout the over medicalisation of childbirth though, speaking as someone who had the full rangeof interventions last time, ending in em-cs. Which doesn't bother me as such, was just very glad dd was ok, but I'll probably always wonder what if...

[sigh] yet another person I come across whose interventions led to emCS.

May I ask what the first intervention was and what for? [nosey]

Induction as my waters had broken the day before and nothing happened witin 24 hours. But I was always facing a medicalised birth, what with my BMI being one point over the hospitals limit for being in MLU, so at the very least was facing cfm etc.

I had the GTT and gestational diabetes was diagnosed. I am taking insulin, controlling my diet etc and I feel a lot better for it. I'd much rather know I have it than not know.

llareggubb - I don't think anyone is saying you shouldn't have a GTT if there are clinical indications for it (although even then it's still a test you should consent to or refuse with knowledge). In my experience though I didn't feel that previous baby size or maternal size was a powerful enough indicator to make me want to agree to the test. Had I had any symptoms of gestational diabetes then I might have thought otherwise. Glad you are feeling better - when are you due?

Mine was done early because I have PCOS, and also because DS was born at 37 weeks and weighed a shade under 9 pounds. I'm due in May but will have a c-section at the end of April due to a variety of reasons.

Hi! Where I live (somewhere in deepest darkest scandinavia) all mums-to-be have the GTT as a routine test at around 28 weeks.

Here you have nothing to eat from 10pm the night before your appointment. They take some blood, give you a bottle of glucose drink which tastes a bit like coke (I actually quite liked it!), and then take blood after 1 hour and then 2 hours. I felt absolutely fine during the test, except for feeling hungry due to missed breakfast. My MW told me to take a book to read and a sandwich with me to eat afterwards.

I understand and agree with people's concerns about un-needed medical interventions/procedures, but compared to many of them the GTT is more of an inconvenience than anything else IMHO. The only side-effect is having your breakfast a couple of hours late.

I developed Type1 diabetes during my first pregnancy....picked up because of sugar in urine then GTT which I didn't actually do because my fasting blood sugar was already too high. I had not noticed any symptoms and only had extra urine check because I moved house and therefore hospital. My levels were FAR higher than anyone developing Gestational diabetes would have.

Do not assume because you don't have any syptoms there is no need for test...it is a non-invasive precautionary test which poses no risk to your baby, unlike undiagnosed diabetes of any form - which if left untreated can have severe implications.

Absolutely agree, Delbertina.