Glucose During Pregnancy

You should discuss this with your OB. It's been awhile since my kids were born, but even at that time doing a blood glucose test was part of the normal routine tests.

I am a mother of 3 and have never taken this test. I am also a midwife and unless a client is spilling sugar in their urine or have a history of diabetes I do not recommend this test. And most midwives I know do this as well. If we do have a client that needs this test we do not use that nasty glucola drink. It gives a lot of false positives. We use a high carb meal instead.

Remember you can refuse any test.

Lisa

I think its up to your OB and what their standard procedures are. I was negative on every one of my urine tests when I was pregnant but they still had me take the glucose screening. It wasn't that big of a deal, just a gross sugar drink, a blood test and an hour out of my morning. Good luck!

Are you talking about the urine tests you take at your regular prenatal visits? The urine tests are not necessarily 'controlled' tests; you may have eaten right before taking the test or several hours before the test. Also, it isn't a blood test or a test that actually measures quantifiable units but rather a range that turns a test strip a certain color.

The GCT/Glucola test is something you should probably take because it is done under fasting conditions, with a glucose sample and blood draws taken prior to consuming the glucose and one hour after taking the glucose. The tests will show how your pancreas and insulin are processing straight glucose under a fasting condition.

The test can give you and your OB information regarding your ability to be at risk for gestational diabetes. You don't have to be overweight or eat poorly to get GD; you can be super healthy and at an appropriate weight. I never had any suspicious glucose urine tests during my prenatal care (and I went twice a week for both pregnancies) yet I failed the one-hour and the subsequent three-hour tests. I'm also someone who is very in tune with proper nutrition and exercise, so in my case the pregnancy hormones really wreaked havoc on my endocrine system and its abilities to properly use insulin to process glucose.

For my first pregnancy, I failed the one hour test, and then passed the 3 hour test. I was so nauseous for that pregnancy that I could barely keep from throwing up that nasty syrup drinking. Fasting for the 3 hour test and then sitting around in the clinic with nothing but that syrup drink in my stomach ruined my day.

For my second pregnancy, I fasted for the one hour test, even though the doctor said not to. I passed the test.

I'm pregnant with #3 now. I didn't fast for the one hour test, and I failed. My OB and her nurse kept hounding me to take the 3 hour test, but I refused. I told them I was too nauseous to take the test, and that I would just put myself on a low sugar/low carb diet for the rest of the pregnancy. The OB then said that I should check my blood sugar after every meal using some device used by diabetics. Again, I said no. She then said that she would have to treat me like a diabetic patient and give me more non-stress tests. I agreed to that, because with my advanced maternal age, that is part of my treatment anyway.

I'm usually a compliant patient, but that glucose testing is disgusting,and I won't waste 3 hours of my time doing it. I don't know how your OB handles it, but like Lisa mentioned below, you can refuse any test you don't want to take. Good luck to you!

Yes, you do. A simple urine dip can be an indicator of problems but does not do any comprehensive testing about how well your body is or is not metabolizing sugar. You do not have to be overweight, unhealthy, have poor eating habits or be of advanced maternal age in order to develop gestational diabetes - anyone can develop it and that is why is usually part of standard preganancy care for everyone.