Talking About Urinalysis

Last Updated on June 18, 2022 by Journal Fact

A urinalysis is the detailed analysis of your urine. It is a diagnostic tool for many health conditions. Most commonly, it is used to know about urinary tract infections, diabetes, and kidney diseases. When your healthcare provider suspects that there is something wrong in your urinary tract, or to know the progress of your diabetes, they may order you to get a urinalysis.

In the urinalysis, the healthcare providers check its content, chemical composition, and appearance. If any levels are above or below the normal range, it might indicate that something is wrong with your health. Sometimes your healthcare provider asks you to get more tests done to reach the final diagnosis.

If you have any symptoms of urinary tract infection, your healthcare provider may ask to get a urinalysis done. Moreover, if you have any symptoms of urinary tract infection or kidney stones, you must not take them lightly. Left untreated, they can lead to various complications. Therefore you should not delay your visit to the healthcare provider. To get an expert opinion, you can consult with a Urologist in Lahore .

Why Is Urinalysis Done?

You may need to get a urinalysis done as a part of your daily health check-up. But sometimes, it is used as a diagnostic tool. It can be used as a tool to find out about the progression of certain diseases such as kidney disease, diabetes, and liver disease.

Your doctor may also ask you to get a urinalysis if you are getting operated. Commonly it is also a part of the pregnancy care routine. If you are pregnant, there are fair chances that your healthcare provider will ask you to get a frequent urinalysis.

You may also need to get a urinalysis done if you have symptoms of urinary tract infection, kidney disease, or kidney stones.

How To Prepare For A Urinalysis?

If you are having other tests, you may need to fast before them. But for urinalysis, you are free to eat and drink. You can eat and drink whatever you like or want before and after urinalysis. However, before the test, you can ask the healthcare provider about the details. Urinalysis can be done like a simple routine test.

Consuming certain medications such as multivitamins, non-prescription medications, and supplements can affect the results of urinalysis. Therefore you should ask your healthcare provider about it beforehand. Give them a proper medical history and tell them about all the medications you take. They can guide you better on which drug you should take and which to avoid.

What To Expect With A Urinalysis?

Urinalysis is a simple and easy test. You have to give your urine sample in a bottle. Your healthcare provider will give you a clean and sterilized bottle in which you have to provide your urine sample. You can do that at the laboratory or home. But when you pass urine at home, make sure to take it to the laboratory as soon as possible. It is possible that if you delay taking the sample to the laboratory, contamination may occur.

When you give a urine sample, make sure to give a mid stream of urine. It means to let some urine from the initial stream flow, catch some in a bottle, and then let some urine flow.

You can give a urine sample as:

Clean the urinary opening.
Pass a little urine and let it flow.
Catch the urine in the bottle by opening the cap at that time. Make sure you do not keep the lid open for a long time.
Collect around 30 to 60 ml of urine in the bottle. Neither the bottle should be overfilled, nor it should contain too little urine.
Close the lid tightly and finish urinating in the toilet.

If you can not take the sample to the laboratory as soon as possible, put it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, contamination can occur.

The Bottom Line

A urinalysis is a diagnostic tool for many health conditions. Therefore you should get it done if your healthcare provider orders it for you. In some cases, you might need to get it as a routine.

If you have any symptoms of a urinary tract infection, you should visit the healthcare provider. To get an expert opinion, you can consult with a urologist at MaxHealth Hospital .