Orange Sugar Water

At my last prenatal visit, my midwife had “gestational diabetes” on the agenda of things to take care of. We had already talked about it in an earlier visit, so by the time it came around to officially accept or decline the glucose tolerance test, I felt ready to answer with confidence. I declined.

You may or may not be familiar with the risk factors for developing gestational diabetes. They include being over 25 years of age, having had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy, having a BMI over 25, having delivered a baby over 9 pounds or a stillborn baby, having a first-degree relative with diabetes, spilling glucose in the urine, and being of Hispanic, African, Native American, Asian, or Pacific Islander ethnicity. You also may or may not be aware that only 50% of women with gestational diabetes experience 1 or more of these risk factors. So, while I checked myself off as free from the listed risk factors, statistically I could still develop the condition. So why did I turn down the test?

I think it comes down to me not wanting to abuse my body, just for the sake of a test. I mean, come on – what is natural about stuffing an obscene amount of glucose in your system at one time? Granted, they are careful to ensure you have been eating well before taking the test, but still. It smells a bit fishy to me.

Apparently the glucose challenge test has re-entered the arena of discussion as of late. Apparently some doctors consider this testing as creating more problems than it potentially solves.

It is true that women who have had gestational diabetes during a pregnancy are at greater risk for developing normal Type II diabetes later in their lives. But it is also true that many things change in a woman's physiology while she is pregnant.

I wonder if, in women who are fairly sensitive to sugar, this test might put them “over the edge.” That is, it may create imbalances in bodies who are already a bit more vulnerable to such imbalance. Take myself as an example. I've struggled with yeast imbalances in this pregnancy, and know that a bottle of sugar water is the last thing my body needs to maintain its wellbeing. Not to doubt the ability of the body to recover and compensate for the “abuse,” if you will, but it still seems unnecessary. I don't know. Maybe next time around I'll have a different opinion.

It seems like, no matter your family history of diabetes, it is always good medicine to keep sugar intake minimized. And that doesn't mean using Splenda or Equal instead. It just means minimizing intake of refined sweet foods, and maximizing intake of whole food sources of fiber, protein, and natural complex carbohydrates. It means balancing the ingestion of a sweet whole food – such as a raisin, an apple, or a banana – with a fat, or – even better – a protein food. It means being sensitive to the fact that your body doesn't like sugar in big quantities, and prefers the natural sugars found in real plant foods with a “skin” to those in a powder or a jar.

Maybe next time around I'll feel differently. For now, I don't feel it is right for me. We can only wait and see!