Urinary Tract Infection Home Screening Test Strips
There are a few company’s producing urinary tract infection home screening test strips so you can self diagnose a Urinary Tract Infection. AZO and VH Essentials are two more prominent on your drug store shelves. As with any home test kit, you must follow the directions explicitly, making sure no contaminants are present. They generally will run you around $10.00- $15.00 (US Dollars).
You will find a list on the box of possible reasons for false negative results and perhaps false positive results. False negative results may be caused by large quantities of vitamin C in the urine, fruit juices, antibiotics; when the urine has not remained in the bladder for more than 4 to 6 hours; if the urine contains microorganisms that cannot break down nitrates; false results can be indicated from vegetarian diets providing insufficient nitrates. False protein results may be caused by highly buffered or alkaline urines; any urine specimen which appears red due to any cause; contamination of the urine from antiseptics and detergents or from skin cleaners containing chlorhexidine.
The dipstick test kit contains specially treated plastic strips (dipsticks) that you hold in your urine stream or dip into a sample of your urine. The strips test for a substance (called nitrite) produced by most urinary tract infections. Certain types of strips also test for white blood cells (leukocytes). Some types of dipsticks can test for both nitrite and leukocytes, but most types test for only one or the other. An area on the end of the strip changes colour if you have an infection.
http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/kb/content/medicaltest/hw227994.html#hw227997
The test kits are meant to be used in the morning, after your urine has rested in your bladder for at least 4 to 6 hours. This can be difficult if you have already woken to the feeling of a Urinary Tract Infection, must expel, then go to the store to get the kit. If you frequently suffer from UTI’s, then keep a kit or two handy in your medicine cabinet. It becomes a catch 22 as you should hold your bladder from expelling which could cause the Urinary Tract Infection to become worse, and it can be painful.
It is helpful to know how to get out of pain if you should find yourself experiencing a UTI on the weekend, vacation or simply want to use natural means. I’ve found, that the over the counter remedies for pain, can come with strong side effects that are usually not worth it. Get yourself out of pain very quickly through natural remedies that can be found at our Natural Home Remedies page.
Urinary tract infection home screening test strips can be a real money saver in the long run.
