XP: GD ladies?
AimeeL85
member
Hi ladies - I'm visiting from 2nd Tri because I figured there would be more of you already diagnosed with GD here. I am 18 weeks today and was diagnosed with it early. My OB tested me early because they saw on my records from my fertility clinic (4 months before I was pregnant) that my hemoglobin a1c was somewhat elevated (5.8). This is my second pregnancy and I did not have GD with my first.
Today I had to go take a 2 hour education course on it. I felt great about the diet and confident I could do it with no problem. I gained too much weight with my first pregnancy and am hoping this will also help curb weight gain this time around. Anyway, I met the nutritionist first and they talk about how it's only temporary, won't be bad etc. Then I met with someone else (who was supposed to go over monitoring) who basically told me for 45 minutes that I don't even really have GD, I'm prediabetic due to that 5.8 hemoglobin level pre-pregnancy, and that I'm doomed to Type 2 diabetes at some point in my life. She went on and on about it and I left a little shell shocked.
I don't know how accurate what she said is. What I read online says that not all prediabetics will develop diabetes if they maintain a healthy weight, eat well and exercise. I have no family history of diabetes (she insisted someone gave it to me). I'm just depressed because I felt so confident that I could easily do this, no big deal, because it's only temporary (not that I'd start eating crappy after I give birth), but now I just feel like this is permanent. I don't think it would make sense to follow up with a primary doctor until after the baby is born because test results wouldn't be accurate.
I am also hoping that the hemoglobin level, being that it wasn't very elevated, might not have been a good representation of my normal levels. It measures your average blood sugar over 90 days and at the time it was taken, I had been eating like complete crap for those months (not to mention it was the holidays, but I was eating like crap most days). I wonder if that could have been enough to raise it into the prediabetic range.
I'm not sure what the point of this post is so thank you if you made it this far. I was just hoping someone might have some insight into some part of this, or a similar experience. I know it's not the typical GD scenario. TIA...DD (5 years old) from IUI in 2012
TTC 3rd and final!: IUI #1 in progress!
Re: XP: GD ladies?
An A1C of 5.8 is barely elevated - my endo told me 5.7 up to 6.4 is in the "at risk" zone - so I wouldn't worry too much. There's a chance you were pre-diabetic, but there's no way to know right now. Just treat it as if it is GD, manage it as well as possible, and follow up after your baby is born. Keep the "it's only temporary" mentality for now, it will make it easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel
I have a family history of Type 2 and have had two GD pregnancies, and I've been given pretty much a 50/50 chance of developing Type 2 in the next 5-10 years. I'm working to lose weight and change my eating and exercise habits in the hopes of avoiding it. I'll be having yearly GTT's and/or A1C's to keep an eye on things, but my A1C's have always been under 5.5, so I try not to worry about it.
DD1 Feb 2010
DD2 Sept 2011
Either way, if you have prediabetes or GD, you are at risk for developing full-blown Type 2 later on in life. Keep that in the back of your mind, but don't let that discourage you.
Follow the diet recommendations you've been given. These healthier eating habits you can take beyond your pregnancy. With diet and exercise, often Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or controlled. Right now, #1 priority is keeping yourself in range for the health of your baby. That is a powerful motivator.
An A1C of 5.8% means that your average glucose over the past 90 days has been 129 mg/dl. That isn't bad, but higher than doctors like to see in pregnant women. Your doctor seems to be on top of things and is doing all this as precautionary measures it seems. The nurses you talked to may have made bad assumptions or not really read your file. The second nurse may have been trying to educate you further, but did it in a really negative way that resulted in you being discouraged.
Good luck!