Question on glucose tolerance test and gestational diabetes...

[bjiang]

I just got a call from the doctor's office telling me that I failed the 1 hour glucose tolerance test and I need to take the 3 hour one. I am wondering how accurate these tests are and how much I need to be worried. This is my 2nd pregnancy and I didn't have GD during last one. I am pretty slim and my last baby was less than 6 lb at birth. I am not gaining any more weight this time around. Is it possible that I could have GD? The 3 hour test is a pain.

-- bo

[AngelaS]

Funny, I passed my first one with my oldest and failed the first one w/my second too. I passed the 3 hour test tho. The test is a pain in the butt, take something to do and try to enjoy the quiet time to read or whatever...all alone.... (mostly!).

Oh and I passed it this time around too. :D

[rottiemom]

The three hour test is the cruelest thing to do to a pregnant woman! No food after midnight & then not eating for at least the next 4 (awake) hours? Augh! I couldn't get myself to the diner fast enough once it was over.

Anyway, just because you failed the 1 hour test doesn't mean that you have GD and if it ends up that you do it's really no big deal. It's true that weight & age can be factors but it doesn't mean that you have to be overweight and/or older to end up with GD. I had it, I followed the dr's instructions, stuck to the diet & still had to inject insulin but it was all worth it in the end. Besides GD seems like one of the more treatable & less dangerous things that you can develop during pregnancy.

But hopefully you won't have to find out about any of this. Good luck with your three hour test...fingers crossed that you pass.

Nina

[bunnisa]

I failed the one hour (which is quite common), but I knew that I didn't have GD. I flat out refused to take the 3 hr (actually 4 hrs), knowing I didn't have GD, not wanting all of the blood draws, and also not wanting to take the time off of work.

We compromised: I went to see a nutritionist (which was very interesting, highly recommended! she said I actually needed more carbohydrates), and a nurse. They gave me a glucose monitor (paid for by insurance), showed me how to use it, and sent me on my way. Total time: 1 hour.

I checked my blood sugar once or twice a day for a week, and called my midwife with the results. Of course everything was perfectly normal. She told me I could stop testing at that point. Maybe this is an option for you? It's much more accurate, and more convenient IMO, and if you fail your 3 hour you'll have to do it anyway.

Bethany
It's a Boy!
William Eric
6/03

[vikivoly]

I had GD with both of my pregnancies and took that darn 3 hour test 1 too many times! It really is a pain and time consuming, but if you failed the 1 hour you should take the 3 hour to make sure. As a pp said, you don't necessarily have to be overweight to have GD and my first baby only weighed 7lbs 1oz while having GD. However, I do know of lots of women who failed the 1 hour, but passed the 3 hour. I don't know why they don't make you fast for the 1 hour test. Something you ate before the test could have hindered your results.

Good luck!

[jpang]

The three hour test is a pain. Even if you fail that one, you might want to ask your doctor what your scores were, especially if you're not gaining a lot of weight. See what I mean below..

I was diagnosed with GD-- my mom had had it, so it wasn't a big surprise. At 32 weeks, however, I'd gained only 9 pounds (and I wasn't overweight to begin with). The nutritionist I was seeing started to become so concerned with my lack of weight gain that she drew up a list of high-fat non-carbo foods for me to eat (butter, avocados, nuts) and actually said, "Hmm... maybe you can exercise less." (I was walking a lot but not doing much else.) At that point, I was actually losing weight on the GD diet they had me on.

Finally one of the doctors at my clinic (we rotate through 6) looked at my initial scores and said, "You're just borderline diabetic. We lowered the passing scores two years ago-- before then, you wouldn't have been diagnosed." He told me a couple of years before, he'd had a patient who was diagnosed as GD, and like me, kept losing weight on that diet. At full term, her baby was under 6lbs. When she got pregnant a second time, she was again diagnosed with GD. This time, he urged her not to follow the diet so strictly, and her baby was one or two pounds heavier.

I followed his advice and started eating more liberally. I still monitored my blood sugar, but I ate more carbs. At the end of my pregnancy, I'd gained a total of 22 lbs, and DD was 8lbs. 5oz at birth.

Don't worry too much-- but do stay informed. JME

Good luck with the test. Hope it's negative!