How is a urethral smear taken from men?
The content of the article:
- How is a urogenital smear taken
- Preparation for research
- Indications for the analysis of a urogenital smear in men
- Types of urogenital smears
How to take a smear from the urethra in men is one of the frequent questions of patients who are assigned a laboratory study of a urogenital smear (scraping). As a rule, the analysis is necessary if you suspect the presence of sexually transmitted infections or some other pathologies.
How is a urogenital smear taken
Immediately before sampling the material, the penis is wiped with saline and dried using a sterile napkin, which prevents microorganisms from entering the sample from the surface of the skin. The material is collected using a special probe, which is inserted into the urethra for several centimeters, then placed in a container with a transport medium specially designed for this and delivered to the laboratory.
A smear from the urethra is taken by a doctor, after having performed an antiseptic treatment
According to the reviews of the patients who underwent this analysis, the sensations when taking the material were not very pleasant, but quite bearable. In the presence of an inflammatory process in the urethra, the patient experiences greater discomfort. After taking the material for research, unpleasant sensations during urination may be noted for several days.
Usually, a laboratory study of a urogenital smear in men is done 1-3 working days.
Preparation for research
To obtain an accurate research result, you should properly prepare for the delivery of the material. For three, or preferably seven days before the study, physical overload and sexual contact should be avoided.
In the case of taking medications, especially anti-infectious drugs, the doctor should be warned about this, since in this case it may be advisable to postpone the analysis to a later date (usually 2-3 weeks after the completion of treatment with antibacterial drugs).
In the evening on the eve of the test, you need to conduct a thorough toilet of the external genital organs, in the morning of the day of sampling this is not necessary. For 2-4 hours before taking the test, you should not urinate, therefore it is not recommended to consume a lot of fluids before the test.
Indications for the analysis of a urogenital smear in men
A urogenital smear is an accessible and informative method for diagnosing many diseases. Its analysis allows you to detect causative agents of genital infections, inflammatory processes in the organs of the reproductive system (prostatitis, urethritis, etc.). The study may be needed as part of the diagnosis of infertility, during a preventive urological examination. In addition, a smear is prescribed after the treatment has been carried out in order to monitor its effectiveness.
Symptoms that may be suspicious of inflammatory urogenital diseases and require smear analysis are:
- soreness during or after urination;
- frequent urge to urinate;
- discharge from the urethra;
- swelling and hyperemia of the genitals;
- rashes in the genital area.
Only a specialist should decipher the result of a laboratory study of a urogenital smear. To diagnose most diseases, it is not enough to look only at the smear result; a comprehensive assessment of the identified abnormalities, other diagnostic studies, as well as the clinical picture of the disease is required.
The procedure for taking material for research can be found in detail by looking at the corresponding photos and videos.
Types of urogenital smears
What the smear result shows depends on the type of examination. So, a general smear from the urethra (smear on the flora) allows you to determine the number of leukocytes, erythrocytes, epithelial cells, microflora, etc. Urogenital smear for infections (another name is analysis for latent infections) makes it possible to detect sexually transmitted diseases, etc. …
When dubious results are obtained, a second study is prescribed, if the indicators go beyond the normal range, additional diagnostics are shown. For example, to clarify the presence of latent infections, they resort to polymerase chain reaction (PCR method), which allows you to identify the causative agent of the infection even in cases when the urogenital smear shows a negative result (for example, at the initial stage of the inflammatory process).
If a patient is diagnosed with sexually transmitted infections, all his sexual partners need to be examined and treated.
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Anna Aksenova Medical journalist About the author
Education: 2004-2007 "First Kiev Medical College" specialty "Laboratory Diagnostics".
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