How Do Urine Tests Work?

A urine test (also referred to as  “urinalysis” or a “pee test”) can be used to check for a wide variety of health issues ranging from kidney disease to diabetes. However, the most common reason for taking a urine test is to determine if an individual has been using illegal drugs. In this article, we’re going to dive into how urine tests work, what exactly they’re looking for, and the different types of tests that can be performed on urine.

Metabolites in Your Urine

When you consume any type of substance, your body breaks down their active ingredients to form chemical compounds called “metabolites”. These metabolites can get excreted from your body in many ways, but one of the main outlets for them to exit your body is through your urine.

Metabolites found in a urine test can tell a lot about your health. For example, if your urine has a high level of ketones (fat metabolites) present, it indicates you have high blood sugar. If your urine contains abnormal amounts of proteins, it can mean your kidneys aren’t working up to par. Or, if traces of drug metabolites are found, it indicates you’ve recently used illegal substances.

When you take a urine test, you’ll be required to supply at least 2oz of urine for a lab technician to be able to conduct a proper urinalysis. If your medical provider requested the test, your urine will typically get sent to a lab where they will conduct a GC/MS urine test. If you are taking a drug test, they will normally perform an EMIT “urine screen” first and only send it to a lab if the results indicate you’ve been using drugs. Both types of tests check for the presence (and amounts) of certain metabolites in your urine in order to give a better understanding of your health and habits.

EMIT Urine Screens

EMIT (enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique) urine screens are typically performed before an actual drug test because they can be done on the spot and provide faster results for cheap. Within minutes, a lab technician can tell if there are any traces of drug metabolites in your urine. EMIT urine screens generally check for the top 10 most common drugs used around the world. However, since these urine screens are less accurate than a GC/MS test, it can result in a false positive. If your sample does come back positive, it will then be sent to a lab for further testing. Often, this second test is called the “confirmation test” because it will confirm if any drug metabolites were present in your urine.

GC/MS Urine Tests

GC/MS (Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry) tests are much more reliable and accurate than EMIT urine screens, but this comes at a cost. Since they have to send your urine to a lab and have it tested by GC/MS equipment, these tests are much more expensive and take much longer. It can take up to 7 days to receive your results and costs about $200 per test. This is why GC/MS urine tests are typically only done if you tested positive for drug use on a previous urine screen or if your doctor recommended it to help diagnose potential health problems. GC/MS equipment can measure very small amounts of metabolites in your urine and easily tell the difference between different chemical compounds. This makes them great for detecting a wide variety of health problems and/or the presence of drugs.

How Quick Fix is Used

Quick Fix Synthetic Urine is so close to genuine, human urine that it is often used by laboratories as a control sample to help them calibrate their equipment. Since it contains all the chemical compounds you would typically find in your own pee and has the same pH balance and specific gravity as normal urine, it can be used by lab technicians who are looking for a fool-proof control sample.

Rather than using healthy, clean, human urine that still contains harmful toxins and bacteria, Quick Fix can be used instead. It’s safer for lab technicians and guaranteed to be free of toxins and bacteria - making it the perfect control sample for experiments or equipment calibration. Plus, since it’s so close to the real thing, neither EMIT or GC/MS tests can tell the difference!