California Phlebotomy Certification Practice Exam

For a pregnancy test, which type of urine specimen should be collected by the patient?

1. 24-hour urine

2. First morning

3. Random sample

4. Midstream specimen

The correct answer is: First morning

For a pregnancy test, the first morning urine specimen is considered the most reliable choice. This is because the first urine of the day is often more concentrated, which allows for the detection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone produced during pregnancy, at lower levels. Elevated concentrations of hCG can be present right after implantation, and a first morning sample increases the likelihood of accurately detecting early pregnancies. Other types of urine specimens have their specific uses, but they are not optimal for pregnancy testing. A 24-hour urine collection, for instance, is generally used for assessing kidney function or the presence of specific substances over a full day, rather than for the early detection of pregnancy. A random sample may be less reliable due to its variability in concentration, and while a midstream specimen is useful for certain tests to reduce contamination, it is still not as effective in detecting hCG compared to a first morning sample. Thus, the first morning urine is the best option for conducting a pregnancy test.