Urine Tests in Pregnancy

These are some of the reasons why you will have a urine test in pregnancy.

The Urine Pregnancy Test

Women don't just rely on a missed period. Often a pregnancy test is also done to confirm pregnancy. Ten days after a missed period, a urine pregnancy test can detect the presence of Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin (BHCG) in urine. This test can be carried out by your LMC,GP or you can use the do it-yourself kits available at the pharmacies.

If doing the pregnancy test yourself, be careful to follow the instructions provided with the kit. For the test, the first morning urine sample should be collected in a clean wide-mouthed container. A positive test is almost always correct. A negative result, on the other hand, can be due to the urine pregnancy test being performed too early or being delayed more than 3 months after your Last Menstrual Period. Certain modern tests can detect a pregnancy even before you miss your first period. Once your urine pregnancy test is positive, you need to think of your first visit with a Lead Maternity Carer (LMC).

Urine Test at each Visit during Pregnancy

At each antental visit you will be asked to bring a collection of some of your urine in a clean container. Your LMC will test this urine with a dipstick for:

Proteins
- Protein may be detected in case of a urinary tract infection or a possible sign for pre-eclampsia if your blood pressure is high too. If tiny amount of protein is seen on dipstick then your notes will have "trace" written in it. If there is more than a trace of protein on the dipstick then it is written as one or more + signs. The more + signs, the greater the risk for you and your baby.

Glucose (sugar)
- If sugar is found on two occasions consecutively or more than two occassions, then a detailed blood-glucose testing (Polycose) is done. This is because a presence of sugar can be a possible sign of diabetes, which can appear for the first time during pregnancy.

Pus cells or Bacteria
- Presence of pus cells or bacteria usually indicates infection.

Always make sure you hand over a urine sample for checking at your antenatal visit.

Midstream Urine Sample

When collecting a urine sample, see that it is a midstream one (that is, start collecting after a couple of seconds after you begin to urinate), and that the container is clean, and untouched inside. Avoid washing yourself with soap or an antiseptic before collecting the sample however you can clean your genital area with water.

24-hour Urine Specimen

This is a collection of urine you pass over a 24 hour period. You are often asked to do this if you have one or more + signs of protein in your urine. You will be asked to empty your bladder in the toilet without collecting this sample when you first wake up. Your LMC or an obstetrician may ask you to do this at the set time of the morning. Once you have emptied your bladder on waking all urine you pass during the rest of the day and night is collected in a container given to you by the clinic or laboratory. Your last sample is collected exactly 24-hours after you emptied the bladder on waking and added to the container. The container with urine collected over 24-hours is then sent to the laboratory for analysis.