An Important Problem in Gestational Diabetes Scan: Why Do Pregnant Women Refuse to Have Oral Glucose Tolerance Test?

Objective: We have seen a decline in the rates of having 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) used for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) scan by pregnant women who applied to our clinic in recent years. Therefore, we aimed to examine the factors that are effective on why pregnant women do not have this test. Materials and Methods: A total of 262 pregnant women who attended antenatal follow-up polyclinic of Düzce University Medical Faculty were included in the study; 129 who admitted 75g OGTT for GDM scan and 133 who refused 75g OGTT for GDM scan. Demographic characteristics, educational levels and income levels of the pregnant women were investigated. Results: The frequency of GDM in the OGTT group was 7.9% (n=10). BMI was higher in the OGTT group and the difference between the groups was statistically significant (29.17 ± 5.67 vs. 26.93 ± 4.02; p= 0.003). When the groups were compared in terms of educational levels, the rate of only literate women was higher in the OGTT group (8.5% vs. 0; p=0.004). The most common reason in the group without OGTT was the concern that the test would be harmful to the baby with 57.8% rate (n=77), the second reason was that the test was not recommended by some health professionals especially on visual media (30.8%, n=41). Conclusion: There has been a decrease in the rates of having OGTT for GDM scan by pregnant women in recent years. Information pollution, especially in the visual media and insufficient information provided by health professionals are considered as the main reasons for this situation. Therefore, all healthcare providers should start programs that would prevent misinformation during pregnancy starting from the preconceptional period and the information pollution on this issue should be removed