Have questions? 
To order over the phone 800-395-1694

Home > FAQs > Do urine samples go bad

Do Urine Samples Go Bad?

Human urine contains bacteria, and as such it will go bad if stored too long. It is advised to keep it in a sterile, screw top, sealed container and place in a fridge at around 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius). Furthermore, it is also advised to take the urine sample mid stream when you urinate, which means avoiding the start and end of the urination, which will help to reduce the bacteria present in the sample and help it to store. Ideally, samples should not be kept for longer than twenty-four hours after being taken, or they will start to build up high levels of bacteria and go bad.

If you wish to keep samples longer, it is suggested that you use a synthetic concentrated sample that will last many months in concentrated form and will also last much longer in the fridge than a human sample will, as it will not have the same bacterial loading to start with.

Video transcript:

Do urine samples go bad? Yes they do human urine samples go bad pretty quick depending on what you eat. I mean a good example would be, is if you eat a lot of asparagus it'll produce an enzyme that'll cause a premature breakdown and you'll get a horrific smell coming from the urine that's a sign that it's going bad. It doesn't mean it's bad because if you eat asparagus and give a sample bingo you know it automatically even though it's fresh it'll smell like it's old but that that makes labs really question it so you want to be careful with that. Labs do not go around smelling pee but if it basically fills the room full of a stink then they know something's going on

Other Synthetic urine FAQs

• Can labs tell the difference between real and synthetic urine?
  
  
• Do labs test for synthetic urine?
  
  
• Does synthetic urine work for lab tests?

References https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/how-should-i-collect-and-store-a-urine-sample/ 

Last update: 13.01.2022