Take control of your bone and kidney health with the 24-Hour Urinary Calcium test from Scan4Health—a straightforward, essential diagnostic tool used to measure how much calcium your body expels over the course of a full day. This simple test helps doctors detect kidney stones, bone health issues, and how your body handles calcium. We focus on making the process accurate and comfortable, so you get clear answers and feel confident about your care.

• Diet and Medication: Your physician might advise you to temporarily avoid certain foods—such as dairy products, foods high in calcium, or vitamin D supplements—before or during the test period. Similarly, some medications, especially diuretics or calcium supplements, may need to be paused or adjusted; follow your doctor’s instructions closely.
• Hydration: Keep drinking your usual amount of fluids unless your doctor tells you not to. This helps make sure your sample is accurate.
• Collection Kit: You will receive a special container that may include a preservative, along with clear instructions on collecting all your urine over 24 hours.
• Timing: Choose a day when you can remain at home or maintain predictable routines to minimize the risk of missed samples.
• Women: For best results, avoid collecting urine during your menstrual period.
• Follow All Instructions: Record your start and end times, label your container accurately, and keep the collection bottle refrigerated or on ice during the process.
• Prompt Return: Bring your completed sample to our laboratory as soon as the 24-hour period ends to ensure the most accurate results.

This test provides a comprehensive look at your calcium metabolism by measuring all the calcium your body excretes in the urine in a single day. Because calcium plays an essential role in bone strength, nerve function, muscle contraction, and heart health, both excess and insufficient calcium can signal underlying health problems. Doctors most often order this test to investigate causes behind recurring kidney stones, symptoms suggestive of parathyroid disorders, or abnormal blood calcium levels. If your 24-hour urine test shows high calcium levels, it might suggest an overactive parathyroid gland, kidney issues, vitamin D deficiency, or an unbalanced diet. Low calcium levels can be related to insufficient nutrient intake, kidney problems, or specific hormonal issues. The process is simple, but requires attention to detail for the best results. You start by emptying your bladder in the morning and discarding this initial urine. From then on, collect every urination for the next 24 hours into the provided container. The following morning, collect your first urination upon waking for the last sample. Throughout, the container should be kept cool—either in a refrigerator or on ice. After the 24-hour collection window, the sample is returned to Scan4Health for precise analysis in our fully equipped laboratory. Laboratory specialists will analyze not just calcium levels, but frequently creatinine as well, to confirm the adequacy of the sample and provide context for your results. Interpreting these findings helps your doctor distinguish among causes, develop plans to reduce kidney stone risk, diagnose metabolic problems, and support long-term bone health.