How you prepare

Before your kidney biopsy, you'll meet with your doctor to talk about what to expect. This is a good time to ask questions about the procedure and make sure you understand the benefits and risks.

Medications

When you meet with your doctor, bring a list of all medications you take, including over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbal supplements. Before your kidney biopsy, you'll be asked to stop taking medications and supplements that can increase the risk of bleeding. These include:

• Blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), dabigatran (Pradaxa) or enoxaparin (Lovenox)
• Drugs that keep blood platelets from excessively sticking together, such as clopidogrel (Plavix)
• Aspirin
• Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Certain dietary supplements, such as omega-3 fatty acids

Your doctor or nurse will let you know when to stop taking these medications and supplements, and for how long. Often, these medications are stopped seven days before the procedure and then started again seven days after the procedure.

Blood and urine samples

Before your biopsy, you'll have blood drawn and provide a urine sample to make sure you don't have an infection or another condition that would make the biopsy risky.

Diet

You may be asked not to drink or eat for eight hours before the kidney biopsy.