Every female has this question in their mind at least once in a lifetime, can you take a drug test while on your period? If the medical condition is not serious then you can wait for a few days for a drug test but during critical health issues, the delay becomes a matter of concern.
Although science has progressed much that you don’t need to worry about the accuracy of drug tests even if you are menstruating. Menstruation mostly depends on the fluctuation of hormones in the blood and has zero interference on drug test results.
Drug tests are done in different ways like testing hair follicles, saliva, blood, or urine samples. No matter which method you are performing, the drug testing of the menstruation blood does not impact the test samples.
Through this article, we will give answers to all your questions like whether can you take a drug test on your period?, what is a urine test?, why it is done?, things you should do before and after a urine test?, preparation for a drug test while on period?, and can Menstruation blood contaminate a urine drug test?.
What Is Urinalysis?
Urinalysis is simply a urine test that is used for the diagnosis of a variety of diseases like kidney disease, urinary tract infection, diabetes, and it even indicates the presents of drug substances or any other contaminating substance in the body.
In a urine test, the concentration, appearance, and composition of the urine are checked. For example, if a person has diabetes his urine sample will have glucose molecules in it. A person with kidney disease will lose minerals and protein molecules in urine. Urinary infection can cause cloudy urine.
Common Reasons to Take a Drug Test
A drug test or urine test is done due to several reasons like
- Analyzing or Checking the General Health
A urine test doesn’t need to be only performed during a medical condition. Sometimes it is performed in situations like pregnancy or drug analysis tests.
A urine test is also performed to check the medical condition of a person before any procedure or surgery. When a person is admitted to a hospital apart from blood tests they firstly perform a urine test.
- To Diagnose a Disease
If you have symptoms like abdominal pain, painful urination, back pain, or any other abnormality in your body, a urine test is performed to diagnose the medical condition. Through urine tests, one can easily diagnose kidney disease, liver disease diabetes, or blood infection. After initial signs and symptoms, a urine test can confirm a disease.
- Monitoring Health
If you are diagnosed with diseases like UTI or kidney problem it helps in monitoring your health condition.
Results of Urinalysis
The evaluation of urine samples is done through three procedures including
- Visual Examination
The name itself indicates that it is the examination of urine sample appearance, either it is clear, cloudy, or has blood particles in it.
- Microscopic Examination
Microscopic examination of urine samples is done after the urine sample is concentrated in a machine. Under a microscope, the analyst checks the red blood cells, white blood cells, presence of bacteria, yeast, or parasites, and presence of chemicals, crystals, or organic molecules(glucose, protein, etc.).
- Dipstick Examination
A dipstick examination is done by dipping a chemical strip in the urine sample. It helps in finding the concentration and acidity of urine samples. It also tells about the presence of sugar, ketones, protein, blood, bilirubin, or any infectious particles in the urine sample.
Can You Take a Drug Test While on Your Period?
Yes, you can do a drug test during your period unless there is no blood contamination in the sample. The urine is most concentrated during the morning so you should take the sample at that time.
The excretion outlet of urine and period is different but it’s still there are chances that the urine sample will be contaminated with the blood. Therefore, according to recent studies, women should not take a drug test on period.
However, if it is urgent then you should collect the urine sample in later days of periods since the blood flow is low. To further prevent contamination of urine samples clean the genital part with the help of tissue paper.
Things to Consider Before and after Drug Test During Periods?
The examination of a urine sample to check drug concentration in the body is done on different levels. If you are an employee of an organization that claims to be a drug-free workplace. You will get a one-month notice before the examination. You have plenty of time to know about your menstruation date.
You can collect the urine sample in the following steps
- Make sure that the sample container is empty and clean
- Now wash or clean the genital area with tissue paper.
- Try to collect midstream urine because it is free from bacterial contamination present on the outer part of the vagina
- Once you have taken the urine sample check its color
- If it is pale yellow, yellow, or transparent you are good to go
- But if it is contaminated with blood particles then you have to take another urine sample.
In case you are unable to collect the urine sample without contaminating blood. You have two options either you ask the technician to collect the blood sample directly from the bladder with the help of a catheter tube. Or you can request that you will give the urine sample after your periods.
Final Words
Although some people say that there are no complications of performing a drug test during the menstruation cycle. But there are chances of rejection of the sample. It is quite difficult for the technician to do a visual test.
If the above mention tips are not working for you then the best solution is to ask them to reschedule your drug test after you are free from menstruation.
FAQs
How Many Days You Should Wait after Menstruation to Take a Drug Test?
Generally, menstruation lasts about 3 to 7 days in most women. Once the blood leakage stops you can do a urine test. If You want to do the drug test during menstruation there are possibilities of contamination. It is better to re-schedule the drug test to get accurate results.
Does Menstrual Blood Affect Urine Drug Test?
If you are wondering does your period affect drug test results then yes. During menstruation, contamination takes place depending on blood levels and the day of the menstrual cycle.
If the urine sample is contaminated with blood it can make the simple cloudy and concentrated leading to possible error or rejection of the visual test.
