The urine for a urine culture can be collected in several different ways. The most common method for collecting urine is the midstream clean-catch method. For this, you collect your urine in a cup as you urinate.
Clean catchBefore you begin this process, a healthcare provider will ask you to wash your hands and then wash your genitalia with a cleanser.You will begin urinating into a sterile cup provided by your doctor.The cup is then given to your healthcare provider, who sends it to a lab for analysis.Urinary collection bagA urine sample can also be collected with a urinary collection bag. This method is used most commonly with children and infants. For this procedure, a plastic bag is attached with adhesive to a girl’s labia or a boy’s penis. When the child begins urinating, the bag catches the urine, which can then be sent to a lab for analysis.
CatheterIn some cases, a healthcare provider needs to collect a urine sample with a catheter. To do this, they insert a thin rubber tube through the urethra and into the bladder. Once the catheter is in place, the healthcare provider is able to collect a sample. If you already he a urinary catheter in place, a healthcare provider can collect a sample by clamping the drainage end of your catheter before it reaches the drainage bag. Once urine passes into the clamped tube, your healthcare provider uses a syringe to remove a urine sample. Urine samples should not be taken directly from a catheter collection bag because urine that has been out of the body too long may begin to grow bacteria and will not make for a good sample.
Suprapubic aspirationIn rare cases, your doctor may need to remove a urine sample from your bladder with a needle. This procedure, called a suprapubic aspiration, is used if previous attempts at collecting an uncontaminated sample he been unsuccessful.