Why it's done

A urinalysis is a common test that's done for several reasons:

• To check your overall health. A urinalysis might be part of a routine medical exam, pregnancy checkup or pre-surgery preparation. Or it might be used to screen for a variety of disorders, such as diabetes, kidney disease or liver disease, when you're admitted to a hospital.
• To diagnose a medical condition. A urinalysis might be requested if you have abdominal pain, back pain, frequent or painful urination, blood in your urine, or other urinary problems. A urinalysis can help diagnose the cause of these signs and symptoms.
• To monitor a medical condition. If you've been diagnosed with a medical condition, such as kidney disease or a urinary tract infection, your doctor might recommend testing your urine regularly to monitor your condition and treatment.

Other tests, such as pregnancy testing and drug screenings, might rely on a urine sample, but these tests look for substances that aren't included in a typical urinalysis.