dipstick test

The MP has suffered from menopause-induced UTIs for more than a decade but said the "dipstick" test usually used to diagnose an infection was not sensitive enough.

Sending a urine sample to the lab is the most reliable test for UTIs but results can take days so GPs often use a faster dipstick test, however, these do not pick up many cases, including Leanne's.

Leanne tested negative for UTIs on a "dipstick test" with an NHS doctor and it was only after she went to a private consultant that her infection was confirmed by further tests.

Traditionally, urinalysis has been performed using test strips; a typical dipstick test, which changes color to reflect a positive or negative reading, costs some five dollars and can be done anywhere.

The dipstick test picks up lipoarabinomannan, a component of the TB bacterium, in urine.