We recently had a female donor give our collector a specimen that was quite warm, enough above the acceptable temperature that the collector did not accept it. The donor was informed that we could not accept what she had presented, and we put her on our water protocol.

Water protocol (AKA shy bladder) is a regulation we follow that allows the donor up to 40 ounces of water within a 3-hour period. This is a federal testing regulation, but it’s commonly followed for non-federal testing as well. The regulation was developed taking the human body’s physiology into consideration. 40 ounces of water consumed within 3 hours should be sufficient to allow the body enough time and liquid to produce the 45ml of urine needed for a drug test. Any more than 40 ounces may produce a dilute specimen. To read more about dilute specimens click here.

When she was ready to try again her first question was, “How hot was my last one? I have been having hot flashes, so it could’ve spiked the temp of my pee.” The collector was not buying the excuse and when the donor realized that, they both had a good laugh. She then admitted that she attempted to cheat and should have known better.

Most cheaters aren’t so jovial or kind – it’s nice to be recognized that we as collectors are only doing our job and it’s not personal!