How long does urinalysis test take

The strip has several different chemicals on it that react with different urinary abnormalities. How the test strip reacts can help a doctor make a diagnosis. The results of the urinalysis will help a doctor decide whether a person needs medication, further testing, or monitoring. A urinalysis is a quick, noninvasive test that requires no special preparation. In most cases, it is easy to perform.

A doctor may use the test as part of a routine check or for a more specific reason, such as to look for underlying conditions or infections, to confirm a pregnancy, or to check for drug use. Cloudy urine can result from many different issues, including dehydration, urinary tract infections, and kidney stones.

Learn more about the causes…. Doctors, sports officials, or employers may request a urine drug screen to check if a person has recently used illegal or prescription drugs. In this article, we discuss the normal pH…. Urine tests play a role in diagnosing diabetes and its complications. Both individuals and doctors can use them to monitor health and check for…. In this article, learn about the possible causes of white particles in urine for both men and women, including UTIs, kidney stones, STIs, yeast….

Everything you need to know about urinalysis. Medically reviewed by Carissa Stephens, R. What is a urinalysis? Share on Pinterest A urinalysis involves checking the appearance, color, and odor of urine. What Is a Urinalysis? National Kidney Foundation. August 8, Sources Urinalysis and Urine Culture. Merck Manual. November Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: September 24, Medically Reviewed.

Why Is a Urinalysis Conducted? Your doctor may also order a urinalysis if you experience symptoms such as: 1 Blood in urine Back or abdominal pain Painful urination Frequent urination Cloudy urine Urinalyses are useful because they can often detect medical problems before additional symptoms arise. They are most often performed to monitor overall health, to diagnose a medical problem, or to monitor a medical condition, including: 2 Urinary tract infections Diabetes Kidney problems Liver problems Pregnancy.

As part of a regular physical examination. How To Prepare Do not eat foods that can colour the urine, such as blackberries, beets, and rhubarb, before the test. How It Is Done A routine urine test can be done in your doctor's office, clinic, or lab. Clean-catch midstream one-time urine collection Wash your hands to make sure they are clean before collecting the urine.

If the collection cup has a lid, remove it carefully and set it down with the inner surface up. Do not touch the inside of the cup with your fingers. Clean the area around your genitals. A man should retract the foreskin, if present, and clean the head of his penis with medicated towelettes or swabs.

A woman should spread open the genital folds of skin with one hand. Then she can use her other hand to clean the area around the urethra with medicated towelettes or swabs. She should wipe the area from front to back so bacteria from the anus is not wiped across the urethra. Begin urinating into the toilet or urinal. A woman should hold apart the genital folds of skin while she urinates.

After the urine has flowed for several seconds, place the collection cup into the urine stream and collect about 60 mL 2 fl oz of this "midstream" urine without stopping your flow of urine. Do not touch the rim of the cup to your genital area.

Do not get toilet paper, pubic hair, stool feces , menstrual blood, or anything else in the urine sample. Finish urinating into the toilet or urinal. Carefully replace and tighten the lid on the cup, and then return it to the lab. Double-voided urine sample collection This method collects the urine your body is making right now.

Urinate into the toilet or urinal. Do not collect any of this urine. Drink a large glass of water, and wait about 30 to 40 minutes. Then get a urine sample. Follow the instructions above for collecting a clean-catch urine sample. The collection period usually starts in the morning.

When you first get up, urinate—but don't save this urine. Write down the time that you urinated to mark the beginning of your hour collection period.

For the next 24 hours, collect all your urine. Your doctor will usually provide you with a large container that holds about 4 L 1 gal and has a small amount of preservative in it. Urinate into a smaller, clean container, and then pour the urine into the large container.

Avoid touching the inside of the container with your fingers. Keep the large container in the refrigerator during the collection period. Urinate for the final time at or just before the end of the hour period.

Add this urine to the large container, and write down the time. Avoid getting toilet paper, pubic hair, stool feces , menstrual blood, or other foreign matter in the urine sample.

How It Feels There is no discomfort in collecting a urine sample. Risks There is no chance for problems in collecting a urine sample. Results A urine test checks different components of urine, a waste product made by the kidneys. Urine test results Colour Normal: Pale to dark yellow Abnormal: Many foods and medicines can affect the colour of the urine. Clarity Normal: Clear Abnormal: Cloudy urine can be caused by pus white blood cells , blood red blood cells , sperm, bacteria, yeast, crystals, mucus, or a parasite infection, such as trichomoniasis.

Odour Normal: Slightly "nutty" odour Abnormal: Some foods such as asparagus , vitamins, and antibiotics such as penicillin can cause urine to have a different odour. Specific gravity Normal: 1. Protein Normal: None Abnormal: Protein in the urine may mean that kidney damage, an infection, cancer, high blood pressure , diabetes, systemic lupus erythematosus SLE , or glomerulonephritis is present.

Ketones Normal: None Abnormal: Ketones in the urine can mean uncontrolled diabetes, a very low-carbohydrate diet, starvation or eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia , alcohol use disorder , or poisoning from drinking rubbing alcohol isopropanol.

Microscopic analysis Normal: Very few or no red or white blood cells or casts are seen. Abnormal: Red blood cells in the urine may be caused by kidney or bladder injury, kidney stones , a urinary tract infection UTI , inflammation of the kidneys glomerulonephritis , a kidney or bladder tumour, or systemic lupus erythematosus SLE.

Volume Normal: —2, millilitres mL per 24 hours. What Affects the Test Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include: If you are having your menstrual period. Taking medicines, such as diuretics, erythromycin, trimethoprim, or high doses of vitamin C ascorbic acid taken with an antibiotic , such as tetracycline. Having an X-ray test with contrast material in the past 3 days. Not getting the urine sample to the lab in 1 hour. What To Think About Some urine tests can be done using a home test kit.

Ketones Other substances that may be checked during a urine test include: Bilirubin. This is a substance formed by the breakdown of red blood cells. Begin urinating into the toilet or urinal. After the urine has flowed for several seconds, place the collection container in the stream and collect about 60 mL a quarter cup of this "midstream" urine without stopping the flow. Don't touch the rim of the container to your genital area. Finish urinating into the toilet or urinal.

Carefully replace the lid on the container. Wash your hands. The test will take a few minutes. You will probably be able to go home right away. The results of a urine culture are usually available in 1 to 3 days. You can go back to your usual activities right away. Your test result may show bacteria if your urine sample was contaminated. Some people may also have high levels of bacteria in their urine without any symptoms.

Your doctor will decide if you need to be treated with antibiotics.