What happens during an amylase test?For an amylase blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.For an amylase urine test, you will be given instructions to provide a "clean catch" sample. The clean catch method includes the following steps:Wash your handsClean your genital area with a cleansing pad given to you by your provider. Men should wipe the tip of their penis. Women should open their labia and clean from front to back.Start to urinate into the toilet.Move the collection container under your urine stream.Collect at least an ounce or two of urine into the container, which should have markings to indicate the amounts.Finish urinating into the toilet.Return the sample container as instructed by your health care provider.Your health care provider may request that you collect all your urine during a 24-hour period. For this test, your health care provider or laboratory will give you a container and specific instructions on how to collect your samples at home. Be sure to follow all instructions carefully. This 24-hour urine sample test is used because the amounts of substances in urine, including amylase, can vary throughout the day. So collecting several samples in a day may give a more accurate picture of your urine content.
