Women should spread their labia and clean the area from front to back. Men should clean the tip of their penis before performing the test. You can usually find sterile wipes at any pharmacy or store that sells home medical supplies.
This method is referred to as the “clean-catch” method and ensures the most accurate test results possible by avoiding contamination by organisms on the skin. You may also see urine collected in this manner called “mid-stream urine. ”
In fact, it’s typically recommended that you avoid leaving the dipstick in the urine for too long, as this may impact the test results. You can buy urine dipsticks at any pharmacy or drug store. For best results, test the urine as soon as possible after it leaves the body.
Be sure you don’t shake the dipstick or tap it too forcefully.
For example, if you’re testing your urine’s bilirubin content, you may only need to wait 30 seconds to get test results. However, if you’re testing for blood or nitrites in the urine, you may need to wait 60 seconds. The color chart will probably include instructions for how long you have to wait to get results for each test zone.
For example, a row labeled “pH” or “Acidity” that begins with a light pink square indicates that the light pink test strip on your dipstick measures your urine’s pH level. The color chart is usually displayed on the package itself, although it may also be provided in the form of a separate sheet.
Note that your urine’s acidity level may also be influenced by your diet. Eating a lot of protein may make your urine more acidic, while eating a lot of dairy or vegetables may make your urine less acidic. Certain medications, such as urinary acidifiers, may also impact the pH level of your urine.
The normal range of specific gravity is 1. 001 to 1. 035. This test strip specifically measures the concentration of particles in your urine. Urine that is less concentrated than normal may be the result high fluid intake, diabetes, kidney disease, or an inability to produce antidiuretic hormone.
This depends in part on how much protein is present in your urine. A small amount of protein isn’t necessarily a cause for concern. If you detect protein in your urine, the best thing to do is to get it checked out by a doctor just to be safe. Protein in the urine may be caused by urinary tract infection, kidney damage, hypertension, diabetes, or pre-eclampsia.
For instance, a high sugar content in urine can also be caused by pregnancy or by taking corticosteroids. The presence of ketones in your urine may also indicate diabetes. Like with protein, the amount of glucose and ketones in a healthy person’s urine ought to be so low that a dipstick wouldn’t even register them.
Bilirubin in the urine may also be caused by a problem with the drainage of bile into the gut, since bilirubin normally becomes part of your body’s bile.
Note that you can also have a urinary tract infection without having high levels of either nitrites or leukocytes. Do not rely on a dipstick test alone for an official diagnosis.
Urinary tract infection Kidney disease Inflammatory lesions of the urinary tract Renal damage Kidney stones
Note that your doctor may have you perform another dipstick urinalysis in their office in order to confirm the accuracy of your own test results. If you have abnormal dipstick readings and other issues like difficulty urinating or increased frequency, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics.
