Collecting a urine sample at home

Why urine is checked in pregnancy
Your urine gives vital clues to the health of you and your baby. It is checked regularly for:

• Protein – a sign of pre-eclampsia;
• Glucose (sugar) – a possible sign of diabetes which can appear for the first time in pregnancy;
• Bacteria – a sign of infection.
  

How the test works
Your midwife or doctor dips a paper strip (dipstick) into a sample of urine from that day. The test shows whether protein is there and gives an indication of how much.

A tiny amount of protein is written in your notes as a “trace”. This is nothing to worry about. More than a trace of protein is noted as one or more + signs, up to four at the most.

What if protein is found?
If you have one + or more of protein and high blood pressure (usually more than 140/90), you may have pre-eclampsia and will need extra care from now on. You may be asked to collect urine over a 24 hour period, to measure exactly how much protein you have.

Protein in your urine is not very likely to be a sign of infection, particularly if you have no other symptoms.

Pre-empt pre-eclampsia by looking for the 'message in a bottle'.

• Never miss an antenatal appointment;
• Make sure that your blood pressure and urine are checked at every visit and the results are recorded in your notes;
• Call your midwife or doctor between visits if you feel unwell;
• If you have raised blood pressure or protein in your urine, ask for another check up within the week;
• If you are asked to go into hospital to be monitored, do it for your sake and for your baby;
• Listen to your midwife and doctor and take their advice. Ask as many questions as you need to.

You may be asked to collect your own urine samples at home and bring them to the clinic for checking. You may be given a special container or be asked to find one for yourself. Whichever container you use, be sure to keep it clean and well-rinsed.

There are three types of sample you may be asked to collect.
Here’s how to do them:

First morning specimen
On the day of your appointment, collect some of your first urine passed after waking up.

24-hour specimen
Collect all of the urine you pass over a 24-hour period:

Step 1 After waking, empty your bladder into the toilet without collecting a sample. Your midwife or doctor may ask you to do this at a set time in the morning.

Step 2 Collect all the urine you pass during the rest of the day and night. Empty your sample container each time into the larger one given by the clinic.

Step 3 Exactly 24 hours after Step 1, collect your last sample and add it to the container.

Mid-stream specimen (MSU)
Clean your genital area with water.
Then use the ‘3S’ plan as follows:

Start – pass a small amount of urine into the toilet.
Stop – while you have plenty more to do.
Sample – start again and fill the container.

Then pass any remaining urine into the toilet.

If you forget to bring your sample to the clinic, ask for a container and collect a fresh sample while you are there.