Problems with providing a urine sample

October 18, 2019 7:01 AM

Apparently I'm doing something wrong with providing urine samples, they keep coming back as 'contaminated'. I'm female bodied, so help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?

The process:
1. Wipe area around urethra, including labia, with the little cleansing wipes
2. Pee a couple of drops into the toilet (should I be peeing more? I've been cautious about having enough for the sample)
3a (rounds 1 -3). Hold little cup against the skin for tidyness and pee into it (done several times before I realized they weren't giving results).
3b (round 4). Thinking that the contact against skin was causing the problem I held it lower (only tried this once).
4. Screw on lid, wash hands etc.

Possible complications: I have pubic hair?

Help me troubleshoot?

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (19 answers total)

I believe you need to hold it lower (aka not against the skin) to get a clean stream directly into the cup.
Pubic hair should not be a complication.
posted by nkknkk at 7:08 AM on October 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

My doctor's office recommends three wipes: one on the left labia, one on the right, one across the center, front to back. Also, try more than few drops--a few seconds of urination. Then, hold away from skin & hair to get a clean stream. The time I held it against my skin, it came back contaminated. I have often needed a wider stance to do this, which can require wearing a skirt, pulling pants all the way to ankles, or taking pants off completely.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:15 AM on October 18, 2019 [3 favorites]

Are you touching the inside of the cup?
posted by DoubleLune at 7:16 AM on October 18, 2019

Wipe straight down the middle front to back, three times.

Pee more than a couple drops into the toilet. A steady stream.

Stick the cup into the stream. Don’t touch the cup to your skin.

Put the lid on and wipe up the outside.
posted by pintapicasso at 7:17 AM on October 18, 2019 [12 favorites]

should I be peeing more? I've been cautious about having enough for the sample

yes; make a plan to drink a little more water that morning if you're concerned.
posted by epanalepsis at 7:18 AM on October 18, 2019 [7 favorites]

I pee a good few seconds into the toilet first before into the cup, I don't always fill the sample cup to the minimum line but they've been able to work around that. I also hold the cup to the skin without a problem.

4 time is a lot to try and give a sample, hope it goes smoother next time!
posted by lepus at 7:18 AM on October 18, 2019

I do with pintapicasso does and I get good results. It's messy but it gets the job done.
posted by kimberussell at 7:22 AM on October 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

yeah you want to just put the cup into mid-stream after making sure you're clean. drink enough water before that you'll be able to do that, but not so much that you're ridiculously bursting and needing to go urgently before you can get into the dr's bathroom to get the sample.

yes, you will probably get some pee on your hand. it washes off.
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:23 AM on October 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

At my doctor they a 'mid stream sample'. I always took that to mean that you pee quite a bit before you collect your sample. I have never had one come back as contaminated. So try that.
posted by koahiatamadl at 7:26 AM on October 18, 2019 [2 favorites]

If you're really having trouble, you can ask for a urine hat. Yes, it's really called that! In some offices, they've just had them in the restroom, in others, you have to ask.
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:31 AM on October 18, 2019 [3 favorites]

They should be giving you three sealed moist towelettes along with instructions to use each one for a different sector, first the two sides, then the middle, as described above, and to wipe once with each one. (You probably aren't doing this, but just in case this is the problem--your word "around" gave me slight pause: you don't "scrub," you swipe one time each with each of the three wipes, front to back. If you rub back and forth or around and around, you'll just pick up and redistribute what you're trying to remove.) Concur you should pee a goodly stream first and not hold the cup against your body.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:02 AM on October 18, 2019 [4 favorites]

anonymous posted">> Hold little cup against the skin for tidyness

Give up on that. It's going to be a mess, you're going to get pee on the outside of the cup, just clean it up the best you can and know that the lab tech people will wear gloves and are used to such things.
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:36 AM on October 18, 2019 [6 favorites]

Yeah I've always been told "mid stream" which means wipe off beforehand (as Don Pepino says) and then just toss cup under an existing urine stream and just plan to wash hands afterwards. Don't let any part of the cup rim or inside touch your body at all.
posted by jessamyn at 9:10 AM on October 18, 2019

If aiming is a problem, the GoGirl female urinal funnels are usually stocked at Wal-Mart in the camping section. You might lightly clean it first and then practice in the shower. This is also helpful at any public restroom or porta-potty that does not meet the white glove approval rating.
posted by TrishaU at 1:37 PM on October 18, 2019

People have covered it before, but mid stream does not mean pee a bit, stop put cup under then start to pee into cup. It means start to pee, wait a second put cup into the same stream, then remove cup. Then finish peeing. Ideally your getting pee from when you are using the most pressure to get pee out of your body. At the beginning and the end you are more likely to get urine on your skin that then falls into the cup.
posted by AlexiaSky at 3:50 PM on October 18, 2019

Urine Hat. Live saver. For a long time, it was the only way I could give a specimen because I was too fat.
posted by kathrynm at 6:10 PM on October 18, 2019

Nthing what has been said above but also: wash your hands after you clean your genitals with the towlettes and before you pick up the cup. Keep your fingers away from the inside and rim of the cup as well as the inside of the cap. Gloves are another option. You should aim for clean hands before as well as after.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 7:00 PM on October 18, 2019 [1 favorite]

Frequent flier. All great advice above. One thing I didn't see specifically mentioned, that's always in the instructions I get, is to wash my hands before doing anything else. I always figured that's in case I do end up touching the inside of the cup.

I also have trouble producing on demand, so I *do* drink enough water to make my bladder feel a bit stretched. IANAD, IANYD, but it's never caused a problem for me. But I tend to run a bit on the dehydrated side by nature, so YBMV.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 7:18 PM on October 18, 2019

Late to this, but as another frequent flier in the urine sample department (kidney disease), I have found that holding my labia open while doing the catch helps get the urine into the cup cleanly. This does mean making sure, as people have said above, that your hands are clean.

A hat would make it easier, but I don't think they can be kept sterile the way a sample cup is. I have only used them in situations where a clean catch wasn't necessary.
posted by camyram at 8:00 AM on October 23, 2019