Urine Test

Urinalysis

How To Prepare

Do not eat foods that can color the urine, such as blackberries, beets, and rhubarb, before the test. Do not exercise strenuously before the test.

Tell your health professional if you are menstruating or close to starting your menstrual period. Your health professional may want to wait to do the test.

Your health professional may ask you to stop taking certain medicines that color the urine. These include vitamin B, phenazopyridine (Pyridium), rifampin, and phenytoin (Dilantin). Be sure to tell your health professional if you are taking diuretics, which may affect the test results.

Talk to your health professional about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).

Go to previous section	Go to top of page	Go to next section
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: November 17, 2006
Medical Review:	Martin Gabica, MD - Family Medicine Avery L. Seifert, MD - Urology
© 1995-2008 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.