How Do You Give a Urine Sample? Short Instruction
How to take a urine sample? In short, use a sterile collection container, clean your genital area beforehand, and try to use the middle of the stream for the most reliable results. Avoid letting the container come in contact with your hands or any other items or surfaces that could contain bacteria in order to prevent them from affecting the results of the test. If you can’t take the sample directly to your doctor, refrigerate it until no sooner than 30 minutes before your scheduled drop-off time. In the rest of the article, we cover in-depth instructions on how to take a urine sample.
Urine Sample: When Is It Needed?
Blood and urine samples are commonly used as a first-round screening method to identify potential health issues in asymptomatic patients. As such, doctors often recommend taking and submitting a urine sample for analysis regularly, usually at least once per year.
Additionally, patients who suffer from pervasive diseases, such as recurring UTIs, may be referred by their clinicians to take a urine sample more often to determine if the infection is subsiding.
Other than that, it’s also a good idea to perform a urinalysis (whether at a doctor’s office or with an at-home urine test kit) without express instruction from your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following:
- Persistent or severe abdominal pain – this could signal kidney stones or cystitis.
- Frequent or painful urination – pain while urinating is often associated with urinary tract infections.
- Blood in the urine – blood presence in the urine requires immediate medical attention, as it could signify serious complications.
- Fatigue or weakness – chronic kidney disease and diabetes are often associated with unrelenting and unexplained fatigue.
- Changes in urine color, clarity, or odor – while the problem could result from a simple case of dehydration, serious liver problems are another potential culprit.
- Swelling in the hands, feet, or face – like fatigue, these symptoms are common for diabetes and CKD.
- High blood pressure – people with hypertension are inherently more susceptible to diabetes and need to get regular health checkups.
How to Take a Urine Sample? Step-By-Step Guide
For accurate testing, doctors require that you take what is called a clean catch urine sample. How to make sure you take a urine sample like that correctly? See below:
Step 1: Wash your hands thoroughly, and prepare the sterile container. Next, wash your genital area to reduce the risk of bacteria on the skin and urethra getting into the sample.
Step 2: Begin urinating into the toilet, but do not deposit the initial parts of the urine stream for testing, as it could also contain bacteria lingering in the urethra. Instead, collect the midstream, and fill the container only up to the designated line – don’t overfill it.
Step 3: After you’ve finished urinating, close the container and set it aside without touching it on the inside. Wash your hands and label it with your name if required.
Step 4: Deliver the container for testing as soon as you can, or follow the instructions detailed on your at-home urine test kit to send it to the lab.
Common Questions Related to Urine Samples
For your test results to be accurate, you need to make sure to deliver an uncontaminated sample. Below, we answer a few questions regarding aspects of urine sample taking that could influence the results.
#1 How Long Can You Keep a Urine Sample in the Fridge?
If work, school, or other preoccupations prevent you from delivering the sample directly to the lab, you may refrigerate it for a time. However, be sure to not keep it in the fridge for longer than 24 hours to avoid the possibility of the urine’s composition changing and producing unreliable results.
#2 How Long Can a Urine Sample Be Kept at Room Temperature?
Typically, a urine sample begins degrading after around 4 hours in room temperature conditions. Longer periods can cause bacterial growth and contamination, making it paramount to deliver the sample to the lab as soon as possible if refrigeration isn’t feasible.
#3 How to Make Yourself Pee for a Urine Sample?
You can drink some water around 30 minutes before providing the sample. However, don’t drink too much, as it could dilute the sample. Thinking about water or listening to the sounds of trickling streams or waterfalls can also help for some.
#4 What Do My Urinalysis Test Results Mean?
To interpret your test results, consult your supervising doctor. They will explain precisely what characteristics such as abnormal urine pH or creatinine content in urine mean in your specific case.
The Takeaway
We hope we sufficiently clarified how to take a urine sample in this article. Urinalysis serves as an invaluable diagnostic tool to test for many conditions, but only if your sample is submitted correctly.
