"Can I Decline the Gestational Diabetes Test?" A Doctor's Response

The Orange Drink. dun dun dun

More and more often in my office, I am hearing this from pregnant patients: “I don’t even want to think about the ingredients in that drink. Is there anything I can take instead?”

It’s important to be well-informed and know the risks & benefits of every action you take during pregnancy. I’m all about empowered women. That being said, it’s important you also know the why behind the test.

Let’s dive in.

What is the gestational diabetes test?

This test is a challenge to your body to see how you can handle sugar. It’s usually scheduled between 24-28 weeks pregnant.

Why is the gestational diabetes test important?

Insulin sensitivity changes with pregnancy because of hormones and blood volume.

This test tells your care provider if your blood sugar is spiking. He or she needs to know because uncontrolled GD can lead to a large baby that comes with problems with labor and delivery. This can also cause the baby’s blood sugar to drop drastically after birth. A situation like that could require intervention.

What’s the problem?

The traditional “orange drink” has ingredients that some moms choose to avoid.

If you are eating healthy, your body is not used to these processed sugars in an excess of 50g or 100g. As a result, some moms get sick - vomiting, passing out, etc.

The first test is a screening and could give a false-positive result, requiring a second 100g challenge.

What are the alternatives?

Fruit juice with an equal amount of sugar (50g).

I really like the Fresh Test. It’s FDA-approved and gaining popularity. These tests are conveniently measured and packaged so you know the number of grams you’re consuming.

Regardless of your diagnosis, you should check your blood sugar values with a food log. Make sure you have the data to back up your GD diagnosis.

Ideally, you should know your A1C values pre-pregnancy, and during each trimester. Ideal = 5.0-5.2 (Note: this is lower than your MD requires. We are going for IDEAL!) Any increase over trimesters indicates a need to check and log.

If you have GD I’d highly recommend the cookbooks and information from Lily Nichols. Visit her website!

Don't forget:

GD is a warning sign that you have insulin sensitivity issues. Pregnancy tends to show us problems that were always there. Clean up your diet and get your A1C checked yearly if you are diagnosed.