Laboratory and lab tests in Slavuta

How to prepare for a blood test

These rules apply to a complete blood count, blood chemistry, coagulation tests, hormones, tumor markers and serology tests for syphilis and hepatitis. Some tests have their own requirements, so check them when you book.

• Blood is taken in the morning on an empty stomach, after a 12-hour overnight fast. You can drink water.
• The day before, avoid physical exertion, alcohol and fatty food.
• Don’t stop taking your medicines on your own. Tell your doctor or the lab staff what you take: some medicines affect the results, and your doctor will tell you whether you can skip a dose.
• Go to bed at your usual time and get up at least an hour before the blood draw. Don’t smoke in the morning.
• Right before the test, don’t run or rush up the stairs, try to stay calm and sit and rest for 10–15 minutes after your trip.
• If you are also booked for an X-ray, endoscopy, rectal exam or physical therapy, give blood before them.
• Give blood for hormone tests in the morning, because the levels of some hormones change during the day. Prolactin is tested within the first 2 hours after waking up, with no physical exertion.
• Children under 5 can be given boiled water before the test, in portions of up to 150–200 ml over 30 minutes. For a baby, leave as long a gap between feeds as you can.

How to collect urine and stool samples

Urinalysis

The day before, avoid physical exertion and alcohol and go to bed at your usual time. In the morning, collect your first morning urine in a dry sterile disposable container, close it tightly with the lid and bring it to the lab within 90 minutes.

Urine sugar test

This test needs a 24-hour urine collection, meaning all the urine you pass over 24 hours. Flush your first morning urine down the toilet, then collect all your urine for the next 24 hours in a 3-liter container and keep it in the fridge the whole time. When you have finished, mix the urine well, pour about 100 ml into a separate clean plastic container, write your full name and the total 24-hour volume on it and bring it to the lab.

Stool test

Before a routine stool analysis (coprogram), don’t take medicines that change how stool looks or speed up bowel movements: laxatives, iron, bismuth or barium preparations, or rectal suppositories. If your doctor prescribed any of these, check with them first. Women are advised not to collect a stool sample during their period. Stool after an enema is not tested. Stool tests for parasites need no special preparation.

After a bowel movement, use the scoop to take small pieces of stool from different spots and put them in a plastic container with a lid. Write your full name on the container and bring it to the lab within 2 hours of collection, for a coprogram or a test for worm eggs and protozoa. Stool in cardboard boxes is not accepted.

Pinworm test

The scraping is done in the morning, before a bowel movement, and for women also before urinating. Moisten a cotton swab with boiled water at room temperature and gently wipe the folds around the anus and the lower part of the rectum. Put the swab in a plastic container, close the lid tightly and bring it to the lab.

How to prepare for swabs and a semen analysis

Genital and urinary tract swab

• For 3 days before the test, avoid alcohol and sex.
• For 3 days, don’t use local antiseptics, antibacterial or antifungal products: women should not use vaginal suppositories, tablets, ointments or tampons, and men should not have urethral instillations.
• Take the test no earlier than 2 weeks after your last course of antibiotics.
• Don’t urinate for 2–3 hours before the sample is taken.
• On the day of a swab for microscopy, it’s best not to wash your genitals.

Throat swab

Before a bacteriology, microscopy or PCR test of a throat swab, ideally for 4 hours, don’t drink, rinse your mouth or throat, brush your teeth, smoke or rinse your nose.

Semen analysis

Give a semen sample after 3–5 days without sex or ejaculation. During these days, don’t drink alcohol, smoke or have a prostate massage, and check with your doctor about any medicines you take. For a week before the test, avoid heat treatments such as a sauna or tanning bed.