SUPPORTURINARY

UTI Test Strips

We're here to help you understand your result.

Upload your photo Or read it yourself

Reviewed by a member of our support team, not software and not a clinician. Reply within one business day.

UTI Test Strips

Read your result

What your result might look like.

The C line is the control. It has to be there for the test to have worked.
The T line is the result. Read between 10 and 30 minutes.

  • Both negative

    Both negative

    Nitrite cream · leukocytes cream

    What it means

    Neither pad changed. That points away from a urinary tract infection on this sample.

    What it doesn't mean

    It doesn't rule one out. Some bacteria never produce nitrite, and a very dilute sample can read low. If you have symptoms, they matter more than the strip does.

    What to do next

    If symptoms continue, test again with first morning urine — it's more concentrated. If they persist, talk to a provider.
  • Both positive

    Both positive

    Nitrite pink · leukocytes purple

    What it means

    Both pads point the same way. That combination is the clearest signal this strip gives for a likely urinary tract infection.

    What it doesn't mean

    It doesn't tell you which bacteria, or how far along things are. Only a provider can decide whether you need treatment.

    What to do next

    Contact a provider. Bring the strip, or a photo of it, with you.
  • Leukocytes only

    Leukocytes only

    Nitrite cream · leukocytes purple

    What it means

    The leukocyte pad turned purple, which means white blood cells in your urine. That's your body responding to something.

    What it doesn't mean

    White cells can show up without an infection, and this result on its own doesn't name a cause.

    What to do next

    Worth raising with a provider, particularly if you have symptoms.
  • Nitrite only

    Nitrite only

    Nitrite pink · leukocytes cream

    What it means

    The nitrite pad turned an even pink across the whole pad. Nitrite appears when certain bacteria convert nitrate in urine, so this is a fairly specific signal. Pink only at the edges or in spots doesn't count.

    What it doesn't mean

    It doesn't tell you which bacteria, or how much. And nitrite is specific but not sensitive — plenty of infections never turn it at all.

    What to do next

    Take this to a provider. Nitrite rarely turns positive without bacteria present.

Send us a photo

Still not sure what you’re looking at?

Faint lines are common and hard to call on your own. Send a photo and someone on our team will look at it with you.

01

Place the cassette inside the outline on the card that came in your kit. The color blocks help us judge the photo accurately.

02

Take the photo between 10 and 30 minutes after you applied the drops.

03

Use daylight if you can, and hold the phone straight above the card.

How this works

Your photo is reviewed by a member of our support team. They are not healthcare professionals and cannot diagnose a condition or advise on treatment. What they can do is help you read what your test is showing.

Nothing here is automated. Your photo stays confidential and is used only to answer you.

Lost the card from your kit? You can still send a photo. Put the cassette on a plain white surface in good light.

Upload your photo

Before taking the test

A few things worth knowing first.

Most invalid results come from one of these. Two minutes here saves a repeat test.

  1. Check the expiry date printed on the foil pouch. Don’t use a kit past it — the result won’t be reliable.
  2. If the kit has been somewhere cold, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before you open the pouch.
  3. Collect your sample before it touches the toilet water. The collection paper in the box is for this — place it across the bowl first.
  4. Once the drops are applied, read the result between 10 and 30 minutes. After 30 minutes it’s no longer valid.
  5. You don’t need to change your diet beforehand. But wait if you’re bleeding — during your period, or from hemorrhoids — until three days after it stops.

Directions for use

How to take it.

About fifteen minutes, most of it waiting. The part you do takes under two minutes.

  • STEP 01

    Catch it midstream

    Start urinating, then either hold the strip in the stream for a second or two, or catch a sample in a clean, dry cup partway through. Either way, both pads need to be fully wet.

  • STEP 02

    Drain and lay flat

    Pull the strip straight out and draw its edge along the rim of the cup, then blot the edge on a paper towel. Lay it flat with the pads facing up and start timing.

  • STEP 03

    Read against the chart

    Nitrite at 1 minute, leukocytes at 2. Hold the strip close to the colour chart printed on the pouch and match one pad at a time.

The two pads have different read times. Reading them both at once is the most common mistake. 
Nitrite is done at 60 seconds and shouldn't be read after 2 minutes. Leukocytes need the full 2 minutes to develop.

WATCH IT DONE

The whole thing, start to finish.

Documents

Everything in writing.

Questions

The ones we hear most often.

It happens. Not every bacteria that causes a UTI makes nitrite, so the nitrite pad can stay cream even with an infection present. A sample taken after several bathroom trips can also read low because the bacteria haven't had hours to build up. Retest with first morning urine. If symptoms continue, a negative strip isn't a reason to wait — talk to a provider.

Yes. Any pink at all is read as positive, and the shade doesn't tell you how much bacteria is present. If you're not sure whether you're seeing pink at all, send us a photo and someone will look at it with you.

That's almost always urinary pain relief containing phenazopyridine, sold over the counter for UTI discomfort. It dyes urine orange and makes these pads unreadable. There's no workaround with a strip. If you need a result while taking it, see a provider for a lab test.

The strip isn't built for that. Pads can stay positive for a while after treatment starts, and can turn negative before an infection has fully cleared. Whether treatment is working is a question for whoever prescribed it.

As often as you like. If you get UTIs regularly, testing at the first sign of symptoms gives you something concrete to bring to a provider instead of describing it from memory. The result log in Documents is for that.

Nitrite forms when certain bacteria convert nitrate that's normally present in urine. Leukocyte esterase is an enzyme released by white blood cells. Nitrite → Leukocytes →

After taking the test

Some symptoms
shouldn’t wait on a test.

Whatever the strip says, contact a provider or urgent care the same day if you have any of these.

  • Fever, chills, or shaking
  • Pain in your back or side, below the ribs
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Blood you can see in your urine
  • Symptoms that came on fast, or are getting worse hour by hour
  • Any urinary symptoms while pregnant, or if you have diabetes or a kidney condition

None of this is a reason to panic. It's the short list where a negative strip shouldn't reassure you, because an infection that has moved past the bladder doesn't always show up on a urine pad.

Get care

Still need help

 Talk to someone. 

No scripts, no phone tree. Whichever is easiest for you.

  • Need to see someone

    Talk to a provider

    Same-day online visits through our telehealth partner*

    See options

  • Running low

    UTI Test Strips

    3 and 6-test packs

Colonox FIT detects hidden blood in stool as an aid in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not a substitute for the screening your provider recommends. Talk to your provider about your result.