Good luck, ladies!
In our world, the default standards are often based on the male perspective being the norm. Women and their bodies are somehow expected to conform to ideals that are biologically impossible. One great example of this can be found in the all too common process of peeing in a cup. I would venture to guess that women’s urine gets analyzed far more often than men’s because women are eight times more likely than men to get a urinary tract infection (UTI), and it’s rare for a man under the age of fifty to experience a UTI. In addition, women have their urine checked at every maternity appointment. I’d guess I had my urine tested at least ten times in each pregnancy. My ex-husband had to be drug tested before each new job he took, but aside from that, I don’t think he’s had other urine testing done on him more than a few other times in his entire life. That total is less than the number of times I was tested in just one pregnancy, and I’ve had three pregnancies!
Despite the fact that many women have to pee in a cup regularly for testing, the standard design of a urinalysis cup is not ideal for women. It’s designed for men whose penises can easily be directed into the cup with little to no mess. For women who sit while they pee, the process is not as easy. Trying to aim into something you can’t see and which isn’t wide enough to catch a stream that may flow in any direction depending upon the exact angle of the woman’s body is very difficult. Furthermore, for an obese woman, her arms aren’t quite long enough. Trying to hold the cup beneath one’s urethra is a physical struggle that contributes to the mess.
It seems like someone should have solved this problem long ago. While someone did design the Go-Girl for women to use in situations such as road trips to allow women to easily pee while standing up, it seems like there has to be a better solution for giving urine samples. Holding the patent for whatever device gets designed has to be a million dollar idea. So with all the useless innovations that have flooded the market, why is there still no easy, clean,affordable, and sanitary solution to assist women in easily giving a urine sample? I look forward to the day when peeing in a cup is a simple process rather than a body-bending challenge for women!
(For those who are ever attentive to detail, that is actually a stool specimen container pictured above. I didn't have a slightly larger urine one available to photograph.)
© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC
Despite the fact that many women have to pee in a cup regularly for testing, the standard design of a urinalysis cup is not ideal for women. It’s designed for men whose penises can easily be directed into the cup with little to no mess. For women who sit while they pee, the process is not as easy. Trying to aim into something you can’t see and which isn’t wide enough to catch a stream that may flow in any direction depending upon the exact angle of the woman’s body is very difficult. Furthermore, for an obese woman, her arms aren’t quite long enough. Trying to hold the cup beneath one’s urethra is a physical struggle that contributes to the mess.
It seems like someone should have solved this problem long ago. While someone did design the Go-Girl for women to use in situations such as road trips to allow women to easily pee while standing up, it seems like there has to be a better solution for giving urine samples. Holding the patent for whatever device gets designed has to be a million dollar idea. So with all the useless innovations that have flooded the market, why is there still no easy, clean,affordable, and sanitary solution to assist women in easily giving a urine sample? I look forward to the day when peeing in a cup is a simple process rather than a body-bending challenge for women!
(For those who are ever attentive to detail, that is actually a stool specimen container pictured above. I didn't have a slightly larger urine one available to photograph.)
© 2015 Elizabeth Galen, Ph.D., Green Heart Guidance, LLC
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