To complete a timed urine collection, you empty your bladder to start the clock, then collect all of your urine over a set number of hours into the container your kit provides. At the end of the window, you mix the collected urine, pour a measured sample into the vial, label it, and ship it. The length of the collection window is determined by your care team or printed in your kit — confirm the number of hours before you begin.
Important: Register your kit before you collect. The lab cannot process your sample until your kit is registered, and a physician cannot be assigned to review your results.
Before you start
Read the preparation steps in your kit's instructions carefully. Some timed urine tests require preparation steps completed in advance, which may include:
Avoiding certain foods (such as fish and shellfish) for a set number of days before collection
Pausing non-essential supplements for a set period
Waiting a set number of hours after any imaging procedure that used contrast dye
Not collecting during menstruation
Your kit will list the exact preparation steps that apply to your test. Never stop a prescribed medication unless your care provider advises it.
Starting and running the collection
When you are ready to begin, empty your bladder completely into the toilet — do not save this first urination. The moment you finish this first void is your start time. Note the exact time.
From that point forward, collect every urination into the collection cup provided.
After each urination, pour the urine into the large collection container. Re-seal the container after each addition.
Refrigerate the collection container between each urination to keep the sample cold.
Continue for the full number of hours your care team specified or your kit indicates.
At the very end of the collection window, urinate one final time into the cup and add it to the container to complete the collection.
Important: If you miss saving a urination during the timed window, the total volume is no longer accurate for the time period. Contact our support team if this happens — restarting with a fresh collection window is usually the right next step.
Finishing the sample
Gently shake or swirl the collection container to mix the urine evenly before transferring any to the vial.
Pour from the container into the specimen vial provided, filling it to the top of the label line. Cap it tightly.
Label the vial with your name, date of birth, and collection date in blue or black ink.
On the requisition form included in your kit, mark that this was a timed collection and write the number of hours the collection ran.
Place the vial in its biohazard bag and pack it in the kit shipping box.
Storing and shipping
Refrigerate the sealed vial if you cannot ship the same day. Ship as soon as possible, preferably early in the week, so the sample does not sit over a weekend. Use the prepaid shipping materials included in your kit and follow the return instructions provided.
Need more help?
If you are unsure how many hours your collection window should run, or if you missed a urination during the window, contact our support team through chat with your Kit ID. There is no cost for a replacement collection kit when a new sample collection is needed for the lab to complete your analysis.