CULTURE (URINE)
01 Overview
02 Details
Why Get Tested?
To diagnose a urinary tract infection (UTI).
When to Get Tested?
When you experience symptoms of a UTI, such as frequent and painful urination, and/or when a urinalysis indicates you may have a UTI.
Sample Required?
A mid-stream clean catch urine sample (women should spread the labia of the vagina and clean from front to back; men should wipe the tip of the penis; start to urinate, let some urine fall into the toilet, then collect one to two ounces of urine in the container provided, then void the rest into the toilet); sometimes a urine sample obtained via catheter.
Test Preparation Needed?
Generally none, but you may be instructed not to urinate for at least one hour before the test and/or to drink a glass of water 15-20 minutes before sample collection.