How should you prepare for a urine test?

Before a planned urine test, it is recommended that you avoid strenuous physical activity or prolonged walking.

It is recommended that you refrain from sexual intercourse for at least one day before providing a urine sample for testing.

Microscopic examination of urine sediment should not be performed around or during menstruation, and you should consider whether to postpone the test during this time.

You should obtain from a collection point  a disposable container intended for collecting urine. This container is usually also used to store and transport the sample to the laboratory.
For microbiological tests, the container must be sterile.

Before passing urine, thoroughly wash the genital area around the urethral opening (using soap and water). If the patient is unable to pass urine into a container (e.g. an infant or a bedridden patient), urine should be collected in a special plastic bag fitted around the external urethral opening. These bags are available from pharmacies.

Urine is most commonly collected as a midstream sample during urination, although sometimes there are indications for collecting the first portion of urine passed, e.g. to detect Chlamydia trachomatis.

Collecting a midstream urine sample:

Pass the first portion of urine into the toilet, then, without interrupting the flow,

pass approximately 50 – 100 ml into the container prepared beforehand, and pass the final portion into the toilet.
Close the container with the collected sample as soon as possible.

First morning urine sample

This is considered the standard sample for routine urinalysis. Before collection, the urine remains in the bladder for several hours
(usually 8 hours) overnight.

Second morning urine sample

Passed 2 – 4 hours after the first. This is more convenient for urgent tests, but its composition depends on fluid intake and physical activity before collection.

Random (spot) urine sample

Passed at any time of day, in any volume, without patient preparation. It is used for tests required to address an immediate clinical need.

24-hour urine collection

Collect urine in a dry, clean container of sufficient capacity (approximately 2 – 2.5 l). Graduated containers are available from the laboratory or a pharmacy.

Start the collection in the morning (e.g. at 7.00) and finish at the same time the following day. Discard the first morning urine (pass it into the toilet). Collect all subsequent portions of urine in the prepared container, including the morning urine on the following day. Keep the urine container in a cool, dark place throughout the collection period. Once the collection is complete, measure and record the total volume of urine collected (in millilitres). Mix the urine, pour 30 – 50 ml into a urine sample container and deliver it to the laboratory.

Please note:

If, for any reason, even one portion of urine passed during the collection period has not been transferred to the collection container, the test will not be accurate. In this case, repeat the urine collection on another day.

Detailed instructions for 24-hour urine collection requiring preservation with hydrochloric acid (HCl) are available
from the laboratory.

Handling the sample after collection

Deliver the collected urine to the laboratory as soon as possible. If the sample needs to be stored, it is best kept at refrigerator temperature.