Home Test For Urinary Tract Infections: Why It Is Done

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Why It Is Done

A self-test for urinary tract infections is done under the direction of your doctor to:

• Find a urinary tract infection (UTI), especially in people who have frequent UTIs. Certain conditions increase the risk for having a UTI, such as if you are pregnant, have diabetes, or have a condition that affects urine flow (such as kidney stones, stroke, or spinal cord injury). In adults, a UTI usually causes symptoms such as pain or burning during urination, frequent urination, or the sudden and repeated urge to urinate. But older adults and young children with UTIs may not have these symptoms. For this reason, experts recommend that older adults and children see a doctor for a possible UTI.
• Check how well treatment of a UTI is working. If you are being treated for a UTI, you can test your urine at home to see whether the antibiotics have cured the infection. If you get frequent UTIs, you may be able to test yourself for infection.
• Test young children who have frequent bladder infections but may not be able to report their symptoms. A home test for these children is done under the direction of your doctor.

Last updated:	July 08, 2008
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Avery L. Seifert, MD - Urology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Tracy Landauer