How to Collect a 24-Hour Urine Sample for Cortisol Measurements

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For the next 24 hours (1 day), you can help your child collect his urine so the care team can measure his cortisol levels. Learn how to collect your child’s urine, and how to properly store your child’s urine until you are ready to drop off the urine sample at the lab.

If your child is old enough to collect his urine on his own, have him read this page with you.

You will need:

• A plastic container (called a hat) to collect the urine (The care team will provide this.)
• An orange bottle to store the urine (The care team will provide this.)
• A black permanent marker
• A refrigerator or cooler

How to do a 24-hour urine collection

Please drop off the urine sample within 48 hours (2 days) of the last urine collection.

1. Choose a day to collect the urine. A day when you and your child will be home all day is best.
2. Write your child’s name and birthday on the orange bottle with the black marker.
3. On the day you choose, record the time at which your child first urinates. This is the start time for the 24-hour urine collection. You should not collect this first sample of urine.
4. After the first sample, you need to SAVE ALL the URINE your child makes for the next 24 hours. Every time your child urinates, have him urinate into the hat.
5. Pour the urine from the hat into the orange bottle. Repeat steps 5 and 6 every time your child pees for the next 24 hours.
6. Exactly 24 hours after the time your child started timing the collection, he needs to empty his bladder (pee) one last time. Save this urine in the bottle. Write down the end time that your child finished his collection on the bottle.
7. Store the bottle in the refrigerator or a cooler until you are ready to drop it off at the lab.
8. Clean the hat well. Wrap it in a plastic bag before throwing it in the garbage.

Collection start time: __________________________

Collection end time: ___________________________

Please drop off the urine sample at the lab by: ___________________

Rev. 3/2018