do all pregnant woman have to take a gestational diabetes test?
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at
2:56 pm
i have to make an appointment for a gestational diabetes test soon. i am thinking about not making the appointment because i don’t want any sugar in my body. i do not consume any sugar whatsoever. even when i wasn’t pregnant i never had sugar. i hate candy i hate soda i hate all foods that have sugar. so i am wondering is if i have to make the appointment? i am not willing to put sugar in my body against my will.
Tagged with: Diabetes • Gestational • pregnant • take • test • woman
Filed under: Testing for Diabetes
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Well you can certainly refuse — its your body your pregnancy your choice
They can’t force you to take a test that your not comfortable with –
40 years ago they didn’t even have the test for GD – its up to you but for my own peace of mind I took it and I’m not into sugar crap either
Many foods such as carbs are processed into sugar -
If your not willing to put the sugar willingly into your body then there isn’t any point in scheduling the GD test
Yes, just because you do not eat junk does not mean you do not get sugar from other sources and do not have gestational diabetes. It is in your best interest and the well being of your unborn baby that you take the test.
It is a very important test for your health and for your baby’s health. If you have gestational diabetes and it goes untreated, your baby can get too big which could in turn cause health problems for the baby or even preterm labor because of the baby’s size.
Many of the foods you eat get processed into sugar and digested for your body. Having a little sugar drink is not going to hurt you or your baby and there is a chance you could still have gestational diabetes even though you don’t eat sugar. The benefit of doing the test really outweighs the risk.
During pregnancy sugar level will increase , its not based on what you eat . Its very mandatory to take a test . Do not skip it.
You need to take the test because all food has some type of sugar in it. It don’t matter what you eat. It’s very important to take the test and just because you “don’t eat sugar” don’t mean a thing because diabetes can happen out of the blue.
I suppose you could refuse the test, I mean honestly you are probably at very low risk. However it is called gestational diabetes for a reason, it is just something that happens due to pregnancy, not diet. If you forgo the test, but do have the disease, you put your baby at risk as well as yourself. So I guess what you must as yourself is what is more important: Having a bit of sugar just this once (it really will not harm you or baby in the least) or risk the well being of your child?
Also, it is kind of impossible to say you do not eat any sugar. I can see not having any white cane sugar in your diet, but fruits and veggies have their own sugars, as well as any type of carb. So you do put sugars in your body. Sugar isn’t inherently bad for you, just sugar in excess is.
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You can refuse the test but I wouldn’t. Think of your unborn child’s health.
I hate getting my blood drawn, does that mean Im going to refuse it ? NO. Just do it, its not going to kill you its for you and your baby.
You do not have to submit to any prenatal care at all, so in that respect you can certainly refuse the test. That said, you are definitely getting sugar in your diet even if you’re avoiding refined sugars all together. During pregnancy the body can metabolize sugar differently than when not pregnant. If you do have gestational diabetes it’s important to know it so the doctor can monitor your blood sugar levels. Even if you are not eating any refined sugars you can still have GD which can lead to complications with the baby and delivery. Personally I would make the appointment and take the test. You could also ask your doctor since you seem to be concerned about it. It’s not about what you’re eating on a regular basis, it’s about how your body metabolizes sugar during pregnancy. Without that test there is no way to know.
Do you understand what sugar is? Lactose-all dairy products, fructose-all fruit, etc. Anything that has carbs has sugar. Not just refined white sugar. Yes, you need to take the test, it can also diagnose low-blood sugar levels.
Ask your OB to let you monitor your blood sugar for a couple of weeks instead of taking the glucose tolerance test. You can get a blood sugar testing kit at Wal-Mart and you test first thing in the morning before eating, then two hours after breakfast, lunch and supper. If your levels stay normal, then you may be able to skip the glucose tolerance test where you have to drink the sugary drink.
Since your blood sugar is based on carbohydrate intake (including pasta, potatoes, even peas and corn), you can’t avoid gestational diabetes by just not eating sweet foods. And you can’t avoid carbohydrates altogether, since that kind of diet would not be healthy for your baby. So you need to know whether or not you have gestational diabetes by either taking the test or by monitoring your blood sugar for a while.
im 36 weeks pregnant and i took that test…i would do the test just to make sure your body is working and processing sugar the way its suppose to for the baby. The doctors told me that the juice they make you drink is equivalent to 18 jelly beans…but its up to you if you want to take the test or not.
No one has to take any medical test that they do not want to.
I strongly suggest you discuss your concerns with your Dr or midwife before you decide. The drink they give you is not a cane-sugar drink, but a glucose syrup. (The same glucose found in grapes, etc, according to Wiki). I don’t know if that makes a difference to you in your diet?
Gestational Diabetes doesn’t just put your baby at risk of being born early, but it can also lead to your baby being unable to regulate his or her own blood sugar levels at birth, and even under-developed lungs. Even if you eat a perfect diet, you can still be at risk, for no other reason than the hormones produced by the placenta can keep your body from using insulin properly. So even if you are not eating sugars, your baby is getting the sugars produced by your body when you eat grains, fruit and milk. This test is the only way I know of to see if that is happening.
Now that I have written that…I wonder if you can just test your blood sugar levels for a few weeks? If you do not have diabetes, the supplies won’t be covered (the strips cost about a buck a piece in Ontario). And you would have to test 7 times a day, most likely.
Again, please, please discuss your concerns with your health care provider. They may have other options or just a lot more info for you to help you decide.