Glucose tolerance test necessary?

Casey - posted on 03/05/2011

yes it is very worth taking the GTT it doesn't take long and the drink isn't that bad and I really don't know what "stress on the baby" you are talking about as far as I know there is no stress on the baby by taking this simple test, the stress on the baby will be much much worse if you end up with gestational diabetes and you didn't know about it cause you though the test was unnecessary.

Kim - posted on 03/05/2011

I had no clue with my last child that I had it. I had no risk factors. I had it really bad, they were surprised I didn't pass out with the glucose test my numbers were so high. There was nothing in my urine. If you go late enough after eating, it won't show high sugar. Imagine the damage that could have been done if I didn't know and didn't take care of myself those last months?

Leslie - posted on 03/04/2011

I took the one hour test with my oldest and failed. I then took the 3 hour test and passed. 2 months later I had full GD that was detected through my urine. With every other pregnancy I decided I would just test my blood sugars and eat right from the time I found I was pregnant. I still ended up getting GD with each pregnancy in my last trimester and not when I should have been tested. I always thought it was a waste of time and stress on me.

Shannen - posted on 03/04/2011

I do think it is necessary. My 1st child was 6p7 and we had no issues. My 2nd was 6p12 and i had GD with him and my last. Size means nothing and i also never had any problems with my Urine. It was always clear. I was insulin dependant also and still had nothing show up. My 3rd baby was 7p11 and for a GD patient thats pretty good.
I hated getting it done but thats because i am at risk if having it everytime i have a baby. But knowing far outweighs not knowing for me.

Jodi - posted on 03/04/2011

Amy, just a suggestion. Do you know someone who IS diabetic and you can use their blood glucose monitor? It's just a suggestion. If you test before each meal, and then two hours after a meal for several days, and then do spot checks throughout your pregnancy, maybe this would be enough? Personally, I would do the test, because no matter how healthy your diet, it could still happen, it is not entirely diet dependent.



Anyway, it was just a thought. Or is it cheaper to rent a blood glucose monitor than it costs for the test? (I wouldn't know, the test here is free, and if you have diabetes and register, the monitor only costs about $50 here, plus an extra $30 or so for all the strips and lancets).



However, the glucose test is much more accurate, in that it measures the sugar attached to the haemoglobin, whereas a quick finger prick test doesn't measure this.

Amy - posted on 03/04/2011

kaleigh - it tastes gross from what i remember. so overly sweet i about threw it up. and it was a nice, thick, gag inducing texture. hoping you have different stuff up there in canada or that they've improved it somehow. plug nose, chug and pray!

Kaleigh - posted on 03/04/2011

Um anyway yeah I didn't even get asked to do one with my first pregnancy but this time they want it done. They said the drink was like orange pop which is delicious but my hubby's sis swears it tastes like gasoline and garbage so now I'm nervous especially since my stomach is so weak this pregnancy. Still important I think I'm high susceptability to get diabetes due to family history of type 1 and type 2 not sure the details but I could see them just wanting to be sure. Anyway I don't know of any harm in the test so I'll get it done but with an amnio or something like that I'd refuse unless it was neccessary. It's all about the pros and cons and weighing the value of the info versus the risk factors of having the test. GD is important to know about and treat so yeah definately but for like a test for downes I mean its more invasive and it wouldn't have an effect you know so I don't see it as something vital to know.

Julianne - posted on 03/04/2011

any herbavore can digest a small amount of flesh because of bugs on plants.

Jenn - posted on 03/04/2011

Interesting that here you note about eating insects, yet in another post you mention that we are not meant to eat meat and can't digest it - and you said that meat is any living creature. Anyway - I would be very much interested in a debate about dairy, wheat, and sugar. Especially since I have already requested some more information about gluten.

Amy - posted on 03/04/2011

I was raised pretty much in a health food store. So....yeah. My mother is the owner of a store. I am trying to find out if it's worth the extra money for this test because of the fact that I am quite healthy and all of the tests are out of pocket now with this new insurance we have and feeding all my children is quite important so any extra tests not truly needed, I plan on skipping. doctors just say "it's routine". but is it needed...well, it's routine. wow, they sure answered that one. So far I looked up the diet for if you ARE having GD and I eat better than that now.

also worried about throwing it up and then having to do it all over again since i'm not used to this stuff. i did it with my daughter, didn't with my son.

Rebecca - posted on 03/04/2011

I think it's the whole bringing in the whole no dairy, no wheat, no sugar (I think you add meat to it too right) diet into several posts. It just seems that it deserves another thread because it keeps coming up.

I think they are saying it's your diet because it is the diet you eat. Not because they think you own it exclusively. It could be called my diet to, except for my having to add meat back in after twenty years because my body got sick. So perhaps, you should start a thread about my diet then.

Julianne - posted on 03/04/2011

All i stated was if you are eating a proper diet, diabetes is not something you should worry about when pregnant. Most pregnant people for some insane reason develop a craving of dairy, which causes diabetes. I put in my idea of the importance of a test. Large amouts of artificial sugar would cause stress on the body as well as the childs and i dont see the test to be necessary. It was turned around to "my diet" which if i could take credit for it i would. But I did not create humans so i cant.

Tania - posted on 03/04/2011

I never took the test as I am already a Type 1 diabetic...which is an autoimmune disease not metobolic. Anyways I would take it. Having diabetes can be very dangerous especially if left untreated.

Please don't put yourself or your baby at risk.

Minnie - posted on 03/04/2011

Julianne, perhaps you should start a separate debate? It's something you're really interested in.

Rebecca - posted on 03/04/2011

Yeesh, it's getting to that time again JM. Let's remember you are still a student of the profession you are studying. Even so, if you were a holistic healer already, it wouldn't mean that a layman couldn't possibly understand the material or subject as well as you. Sometimes people are very informed but just don't agree with your theories on the subject. Many western med docs study for years and would disagree with it - I wouldn't say they are all brainwashed by the man. They believe, as much as you do, that their information is vital and worthy.

Amy might indeed know better even if she isn't studying natural healing. I'm not saying she is and you are. I'm just saying it's possible.

I'd love to debate the topic of wether dairy, wheat and sugar should be taken out of everyone's diet. I don't eat any of them but I'm not sure it would work for everyone. Go for it.

Julianne - posted on 03/04/2011

Picking apart someone elses advice because YOU think YOu know better is what overrode the posters question. Maybe if you want to make your own post on why you have the right to tell everyone else they are wrong about their profession go right ahead.

Iridescent - posted on 03/04/2011

Forcing your diet on everyone doesn't change anything, it only takes control of a conversation that was not intended for this subject and overrides the posters question. So maybe start your own post about how perfect your diet is, and let the poster have her question answered.

Rebecca - posted on 03/04/2011

John the Baptist sure loved crickets..he seemed sane in his time.

Julianne - posted on 03/04/2011

Yes, and its already been proven that insects are an excellent source of protein for humans. Plus it would be better for the environment than meat. Less land would produce more food and it would be less wasteful.

Minnie - posted on 03/04/2011

Anyways, I don't think the glucose test is necessary but probably not too invasive. I had it with my first and chose to not have it with my second.

Minnie - posted on 03/04/2011

No, we cannot digest it easily- we can still digest it. But we most definitely CAN digest insects. Chimpanzees share 98.5% of our DNA and they frequently eat insects, as do most of our fellow primates.



But we're not going to run out and grab us a handful of crickets now, are we? Cultural disconnect there.

Julianne - posted on 03/04/2011

Humans cant digest raw meat...reason #1 were not suppose to eat it.

Minnie - posted on 03/04/2011

If we're going to go on about the ancestral diet of primitive humans and how we should be eating like them we probably should become insectivores. Sure, we didn't run down a buffalo and kill it with our teeth but I bet anything we frequently picked up grubs and dug for termites- just like our fellow primates.

Julianne - posted on 03/04/2011

Jodi your failing to understand that the main foods that cause diseases like diabetes are NOT suppose to be in the human diet. I only eat one particular way. By eliminating the foods that cause distress in the body (not eating the exact way i do as you think i mean) most disorders become non-existent. EVERYONE needs to eliminate these foods. Its killing people. These are not in our natural diet. Its only a handful of what people consider food that needs to be taken away. Any disorder unless its genetic or environmental, are caused by these foods.

If you ate EXACTLY like me, it would probably stress your body, i need high levels of iron, omega 3 oils and natural sugars to stay healthy.I eat more than the average person because my metabolism is extremely high functioning, i use lots of energy. That would probably make someone else fat if they ate that way.

Laura - posted on 03/04/2011

It's carbs that affect your glucose when you have diabetes. If you eat lots of fruit, yep, natural sugar, made my glucose skyrocket, pastas, dairy, potatoes. And like Jodi said not all foods affect diabetics the same way. A LOT of healthy natural foods contain carbs and natural sugars.

And Rebecca I had two pregnancies with no GD, have no history of it in my family, am active, and am thin and I ended up with GD for my third pregnancy. It is not predictable and it doesn't matter if you've never had it before or what your diet is. For the health of yourself and your child I would get it just in case. IMO

Amy - posted on 03/04/2011

my diet isn't an issue. Information on GD and the test is. I do mostly natural/organic. We grow most of our own food. We make every meal from scratch pretty much. We eat quite well.

That stuff does make me very ill because i'm not used to HFCS or dyes and I don't really want that in my body or my baby's since now something may or may not be wrong with the rt kidney of baby. wouldn't that junk affect her? and her kidneys?

Stifler's - posted on 03/04/2011

I agree you should get it anyway even if you're not predisposed to diabetes there is still a chance you may get GD.

Jodi - posted on 03/03/2011

Julianne, you are failing to understand that we are trying to say that the right diet for a diabetic is different for everyone. No pregnant woman needs to go on a diet like that you are suggesting to maintain her health. What you are trying to say is that every person should eat like you, and then it is a non-issue. You don't know that, because every person's body processes glucose differently. So just saying that if everyone avoided dairy, meat and wheat while pregnant it wouldn't be an issue is far too simplistic and fails to recognise that most people are not you, and that your diet does not suit them and is not right for them.

I respect that you live how you live, but using the *well if you ate like me it wouldn't be a problem* is just not having respect for the fact that YOUR way of living isn't the only way to be healthy.

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

There are over 20,000 eatable plants in the world. that does not seem limited to me, any diet for any disorder could be found on a plant based one. Unless they were allergic to food.

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

"my diet" has more variables than you think....its not so narrow.
Wheat, meat, dairy sugar and processed box foods....thats not a lot of food. its a minuscule part of the spectrum. Its just the "staples" in certian parts of the world.

Iridescent - posted on 03/03/2011

Seriously. No one diet works for everyone, as you are stating. The diabetic highly relies on concentrated protein as well as glucose, yet you are stating it does not. Dairy is a mainstay of it, as is meat. My daughter cannot process protein - and this includes vegetable protein (not just grain, not just meat, but also fruit as a banana or orange even have too much for her to eat). Others cannot have fats. Yet more cannot have carbohydrates. If they do, they die! Yet "your" diet is perfect for everyone.

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

well i guess i do live off of formula or a machine...since i avoid unnatural foods..

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

not "according to me" Its according to the years of research i invested and thousands of doctors scientists and papers i have read. Its not something i thought up one day and decided to go with. Plenty of people know the proper diet...not just me...Their is plenty wrong with people eating meat dairy and wheat....its not our natural diet.

If we were designed to eat meat. Go hunt down an animal and eat the flesh of it raw, then tell me your fine. Not going to happen. The diet people should be on would prevent diabetes. Its not a "diet fad" its how humans are designed to eat.

Iridescent - posted on 03/03/2011

Avoiding all foods would mean you live off elemental formula (lab made) or are a machine. Sorry, but no matter what you put into your body there are downsides. Everything needs to be done in moderation and with respect to your own individual needs. Making blanket statements in any direction is a mistake, because this is where diet fads come from and not one diet works for everyone. None.

Jodi - posted on 03/03/2011

According to you. Sorry, but there is nothing wrong with eating meat, dairy and wheat in appropriate moderation. People have been eating these things for hundreds or thousands of years. You have your opinion, I have mine. And I am sure there are MANY people who will disagree with you that when you are pregnant you should cut out meat, dairy and wheat anyway. Neither do you need to cut them out if you have diabetes.



So when you say "The diet you should be on would be the diet you would be put on if you had diabetes", you are saying YOUR diet, but it certainly is not the diet everyone should be on at all, just your opinion of the diet everyone should be on. In fact all these things are recommended as a part of a balanced diet for the majority of people.



Besides, I never said anything about wheat. ANY grain is a carbohydrate. Vegetables contain carbohydrates. So what, you avoid those too?? Sheesh.

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

@jodi, meat, dairy and wheat are only a few of the things that no one should be eating,The diet you should be on would be the diet you would be put on if you had diabetes.

Rebecca - posted on 03/03/2011

If I was living in the states and not in Canada (where it's on the man to pay) and I was on my second pregnancy - I might just skip it. Sounds expensive and it made me super sick. I don't eat non-natural sugar and the sudden hit of orange crush-like super drink made me sick to my stomach and faint.



So yeah, if it wasn't free and it was my second (and all the other things you laid out in the OP were in place), I might just let it go.

Jodi - posted on 03/03/2011

And just to correct you, not all diabetes is the result of insulin not being produced properly. In fact Type 2 diabetes (which includes DB) is often the result of the inability of the body to uptake the insulin being produced. So the body is producing enough insulin, but the cells are having difficulty using it. Which is why it CAN be controlled with diet.

Jodi - posted on 03/03/2011

Julianne, you can develop GD even on a healthy diet. It's not just sugary crap that causes problems with diabetes. Everything from fresh fruit and veg, carbohydrates (both simple and complex), animal fats and more can cause problems. Everyone's blood sugar reacts differently to different things. For instance, some diabetics are more sensitive to animal fats (meat, dairy, etc) than others, while others may be perfectly fine with the fats, but their blood glucose seems to go nuts after 3 slices of wholegrain bread. So even someone with a healthy diet may need to change their eating habits if they find they have GD.

Tawny - posted on 03/03/2011

I took the test and had it and all I had to do was change my diet and check my blood 4 times a day and didn't have to do insulin .... I would take the test just in case you never know and I freaked out when I found out but it really wasnt that bad I lost the weight I gained and lost a lot more after having my little guy. Good Luck

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

Diabetes is the result of insulin not being produced properly in the body, not being able to process sugar is the result of that, not what causes it.

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

juice is garbage. even 100% real stuff.

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

Actually no christina thats not what i said. If you have gestational diabetes and eat sugary crap thats when it causes a problem. Your diet while pregnant should be the same diet you would be on anyways if you had gestational diabetes.

Christina - posted on 03/03/2011

Actually no Julianne. You can develop diabetes, and even gestational diabetes, even if you don't eat sugary crap as you put it. Diabetes occurs when your body can not process glucose, which is produced by a lot of things, including carbohydrates, and even 100% fruit juices. It is why diabetics drink orange juice when their blood sugar drops too low.

Julianne - posted on 03/03/2011

I wouldnt get the test. it only really matters if you have it and binge eat sugary crap, which you should be eliminating as much unnatural sugar anyways for the babies health.

Christina - posted on 03/03/2011

It is actually quite necessary to take the test. With no predisposition to diabetes, you could have gestational diabetes and not know it. I know a lot of YOUNG girls and women (between the ages of 17-22yrs old) that developed gestational diabetes, even though half of them were not over-weight at all.

Bonnie - posted on 03/03/2011

I think it is worth it to have the test done. I know of mothers who didn't have GD with their first pregnancy and did with their second or didn't have it with their first two and did with the third.

I did the test with both my pregnancies and I didn't have GD with either of them. It doesn't mean I wouldn't end up with it if I were to have a third pregnancy.

Jaime - posted on 03/03/2011

i don't know if it's necessary, but i had to take both the one-hour and the three-hour. i failed the one-hour because i was dehydrated, didn't bleed very quickly and not enough water to help disperse the sugars. the morning i took the three-hour, i drank plenty of water, bled much more easily when they stuck me, and they let me go after the second hour because my tests came back okay.

so if you're doing the one-hour, drink lots of water before you go in. i'm sure it helps and if so, you should have an okay test and not have to go in a second time. that's, of course, if you don't have GD. if you do, it will probably still come up weird. i dunno, not my area of expertise certainly. but worth a shot.

Amy - posted on 03/03/2011

after you have the baby, they usually let you. if the bill is over two thousand, they put a phone # to set up payments. So as far as I can find from any numbers on billing - due is due. I thought I'd had half the money for delivery saved up, but it's all getting sucked out for this stuff.

still can't find much on GD testing. why is that? what am I looking up wrong? all i find are medical community sites that say how it's done and at what time in pregnancy.

Stifler's - posted on 03/02/2011

Far out. I got pissed off when they started sending out a bill for non hospital pathology and then had to pay it, then go to Medicare and claim the money back.