A urine glucose test is a quick way to check for high glucose levels. Too much glucose in the urine can signal a health problem, and long-term high glucose levels can ultimately lead to serious complications.

Glucose is a type of sugar that your body requires and uses for energy. Your body converts the carbohydrates you eat into glucose. However, higher-than-needed levels of glucose may lead to health challenges.

The urine glucose test involves taking a urine sample. Once you provide your sample, a small cardboard device known as a dipstick will measure your glucose levels.

The dipstick will change color depending on the amount of glucose in your urine. If you have a moderate or high amount of glucose in your urine, a doctor may recommend further testing to determine the underlying cause.

The most common cause of elevated glucose levels is diabetes, a condition that affects your body’s ability to manage glucose levels. It’s important to monitor your glucose levels if you have already received a diabetes diagnosis or if you show symptoms of prediabetes.

These symptoms include:

  • excessive thirst
  • blurred vision
  • unexplained fatigue

When left untreated, diabetes may lead to long-term complications, including kidney failure and nerve damage.

A urine glucose test has traditionally been used to check for diabetes. In addition, people with diabetes may use it to monitor blood sugar levels and measure the efficacy of treatments.

Urine tests may also be used to detect ketones, a chemical the body produces when burning fat for energy. High levels of ketones may suggest type 1 diabetes, among other conditions.

Urine tests are generally less common nowadays since blood tests have become more accurate and, sometimes, easier to use. Still, in some cases, a doctor may order a urine test to check for kidney problems or a urinary tract infection (UTI).

It’s important to tell the laboratory or doctor about any prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, or supplements you’re currently taking or have taken in the last few days.

Certain medications or supplements may skew your test results.

You should never stop taking your medications to take a urine test unless a doctor tells you to do so. Just let them know ahead of the urine test.

Your doctor will perform the urine glucose test in their office or at a diagnostic laboratory. A doctor or lab technician will give you a plastic cup with a lid on it and ask you to provide a urine sample.

When you get to the bathroom, wash your hands and use a moist towelette to clean the area around your genitals.

Open the cup and place the lid face up on a clean surface while you hold the cup. Let a small stream of urine flow directly into the toilet to clear the urinary tract. Hold your urine and place the cup under the stream of urine without touching your body with it.

After you’ve obtained the sample — half a cup is usually sufficient — you may finish urinating in the toilet. Carefully place the lid on the cup, making sure not to touch the inside of the cup or lid.

Give the sample to the appropriate person. They will use a device called a dipstick to measure your glucose levels. Dipstick tests can usually be performed on the spot, so you may be able to receive your results within several minutes.

You may also find home urine glucose tests in some local pharmacies and stores. These may not be as accurate as laboratory tests, but they could give you some indication of your glucose levels.

The standard amount of glucose in urine is 0 to 0.8 mmol/L (millimoles per liter). A higher level could be a sign of a health problem, which could be acute (recent) or chronic (long-term). Diabetes is the most common chronic cause of elevated glucose levels.

In some cases, a high level of glucose in urine can be due to pregnancy. Pregnant people tend to have higher urine glucose levels than those who aren’t pregnant.

Significantly higher levels of glucose in the urine during pregnancy may sometimes indicate gestational diabetes, but more tests are needed to confirm this.

Elevated glucose levels in urine may also result from renal glycosuria, a rare condition in which the kidneys release glucose into the urine. Renal glycosuria can cause urine glucose levels to be high even if blood glucose levels are within standard levels.

If the results of your urine glucose test are abnormal, a doctor may want to do further testing to identify the cause.

If you haven’t yet, make sure your healthcare team has a complete list of prescription or over-the-counter medications and supplements you’ve taken in the last month or longer.

Some medications can interfere with glucose levels in the blood and urine.

Chronic stress or high levels of psychological stress may also increase glucose levels. A doctor may want to talk with you about this as well if your results are higher than expected.

A urine glucose test measures the levels of glucose (sugar) to determine possible health challenges like diabetes. This type of test is not as common these days because blood tests are considered more accurate and easy to perform in these cases.