Glucose test

[Melanie]

I'm worried about drinking that stuff and how much pain it's going to cause my bladder. Any advice? What was your experience?

My IC bladder is very sensitive to every beverage (except Evian). My OB says that I might be able to skip the test (because of the IC). But I don't want to endanger the pregnancy. I'm not sure what to do!?

[SandyRN]

You could just have regular blood sugar tests done, or maybe have it set up to where you can check your blood sugar at home? Check with your doc, and see what he says, but it's a thought if you are worried about monitoring your sugar!

[cdfox]

The glucose test drink is about a 4-6 oz glass of flat, sweet, orange soda - not a full-sized can of soda. I took the test twice. The soda didn't really bother my bladder, which is unusual with my IC, but I've been in semi-remission with throughout this pregnancy. I had to take the test twice because I tested false positive on the first glucose test, which I heard is common.

I'm 38 weeks pregnant now and decided to take the test because I've got a family history of big babies and wanted to rule out gestational diabetes. That said, I'm sure my mother and grandmothers never had this glucose test and they delivered healthy big babies (10-11 pounders) vaginally in the 40s and 60s respectively.

Talk to your ob-gyn and weigh your options. If you do decide to take the glucose test, make sure you drink the soda as quickly as possible. Otherwise, the drink will linger in your mouth and might leave an aftertaste in your mouth like at the mouthwash at the dentist's. You have to fast the night before you take the glucose test, so you're stomach will be empty, though you can drink water before the test but not once the test is administered. I took the test at my doctor's office and it involved drinking the soda and having my blood drawn three times -- a three-hour event. In hindsight, I think having my blood drawn was worse than the soda for me, but then I'm no fan of needles.

Good luck...Carolyn