Testing your urine

If you have symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI), your healthcare provider will order 2 tests of your urine:

• Urinalysis checks your urine for different things, like white blood cells, protein, blood cells, and other substances. This helps determine if you have an infection or other problem in your urinary tract.
• Urine culture is done to find out if your symptoms are caused by bacteria. A urine culture will also identify the type of bacteria that is causing the infection.

Your healthcare provider will ask you to get your urine tested every time you have symptoms of a UTI.

In some cases, like if you are pregnant, have multiple sclerosis, have a spinal cord injury, or will be getting surgery, your healthcare provider may order these tests even if you do not have symptoms of a UTI.

Imaging tests

In a small number of cases, your healthcare provider may want to check for other conditions that could be causing your symptoms, like a blood infection, kidney stones, or differences in the structure of your urinary tract. In these cases, they may order an ultrasound or a CT scan of the abdomen.