Info Desk [Paperwork, ordering, wait times, procedures, booklets, prescriptions...]

Could someone please clarify if these applications have an expiration date? 😳 😳

I reckon they have about a month left

Hm... was it ten? :S

Sam Hall15 said:Hmm... was it actually ten? :S

The word I heard was a full month...

One month until the doctor appointment, then another fifteen days just to pick up the prescription at the pharmacy.

Well, they mostly forget to include the date for me—hooray!🎉

Thank you, everyone 🙂

There is one new detail to keep in mind, though,
regarding specialist referrals: you have a one-month window to actually schedule your appointment. Once you've booked it within that timeframe, the referral remains valid until your scheduled date arrives.
In other words, if your doctor gives you a referral for a specific exam and you contact a hospital or clinic within that first month to get on their books—even if they tell you they can't see you for another two months—your referral is still considered valid.
(I believe they implemented this change to deal with the backlog and the massive number of unused referrals floating around.)

So, I just got a referral from my primary care doctor for a urine culture, but since my period started today, I'm a bit stuck. Does anyone know how long these referrals actually stay valid?

Goodness... I'm just not sure... I mean, don't all those referrals typically stay valid for a month?

Regardless of how that shakes out, you really ought to drop off that sample as soon as your period ends—don't let it linger longer than necessary! In the meantime, maybe try picking up some herbal tea—cranberry, cranberry leaf, nettle, or maybe horsehead cherry? But please, do pick just one or two varieties and don't go mixing them all together; whatever you do, just don't combine the cranberry with the uva tea.

Thanks for the help.

It honestly doesn't matter where you are in your cycle! I can't quite wrap my head around those concerns... whether it's day three or day four, you should be able to go without any issues at all. Even if there happens to be a little bit of menstrual blood mixed in with your urine, it really isn't a big deal either.

Angela Peterson57 said:The amount you're dealing with shouldn't matter at all—honestly, why even worry about it? If you're on day three or four of your period, you can head out just fine. And even if there’s a bit of menstrual blood showing up in a urine sample, it really isn't a big deal either.

Though, I suppose a girl wouldn't want to be put in an embarrassing position, would she?🙂

Well, look... if you just let it flow naturally, the initial few seconds will likely include any menstrual blood, and after that, the rest of the urine should come out looking perfectly normal.
I’ve done it countless times myself, and I’ve never had a single issue.

Angela Peterson57 said:The amount you have doesn't matter at all! That’s just nonsense... you can go after three or four days of your period without any issues. Even if there’s some menstrual blood in your urine, it shouldn't make a difference either.

The staff at the clinic told me I should wait until my period is completely over😕, though honestly, I don't see why it matters—it feels like they're being overly cautious about growing a bacterial culture. What does blood have to do with the process?

Angela Wright said:The staff at the clinic told me I had to wait until my period was over😕—honestly, I don't get it. Why can't they just grow the culture? What does blood have to do with anything?

Because it could trigger a false positive for hematuria—basically, it makes it look like there's blood in your urine when there isn't.

Michelle Cook83 said:Because it could trigger a false positive for hematuria, or blood in the urine.

Isn't that just part of a standard urinalysis😕? I've never actually seen that specific section showing up on a urine culture report—usually, it's just the bacteria and how they react to different antibiotics.
I was thinking maybe it had something to do with the specific reagents used during the testing process, but if you're certain, then I guess you're right.😳

You're correct that you won't see a specific category for it on the lab report, but to culture bacteria, they need a urine sample. It really needs to be collected properly without being contaminated by any other fluids, especially bodily

Sam Hall15 said:You're right that they won't list a specific category on the lab report, but look—if you want them to actually grow bacteria in a culture, you need a clean urine sample. It has to be pure, not contaminated by any other fluids, especially not bodily fluids.

So, basically, no cultures during your period.😁 👍

Yes, indeed...