Can you use at at home UTI test strip during a heavy period?

[Anonymous]

Having an extremely heavy period (in peri) and think I'm getting or have a UTI will those at home test strips work or will the flooding blood make them inaccurate? How do they test for UTI during your period? Not sure what I should do. Please help! Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Last time I had a UTI, my doc just called in the Rx without testing.

[Anonymous]

PS, just do a video call if your insurance allows. You’ll have the Rx in 15 min.

[Anonymous]

Put in a tampon. Take a bath/shower. Then do your test.

[Anonymous]

Shouldn’t be that hard to get a clean catch (follow the guidelines carefully). It will be easier with a full bladder but be careful not to dilute you urine (by guzzling a lot of water) too much or you’ll get a false negative.

[Anonymous]

You can use a strip. Wipe carefully with a wet wipe, use a tampon, wipe again, and do clean catch.

Disregard red blood cells (RBCs) or blood on the strip indicators. White blood cells (WBCs, leucocytes) are a little more useful in this context but not diagnostic, as the more blood in the sample, the higher the WBCs. The presence of bacteria can be helpful but is also affected by how contaminated the sample may be.

The most useful to you will be urinary nitrites and leukocyte esterase. Likelihood of a UTI goes up if either or both positive -- neither is affected by menses. Nitrites indicate the presence of gram-negative bacteria (e.g., E. coli), and LE looks for activated white blood cells (producing an enzyme).

[Anonymous]

No.