Is Your Marriage Around the Corner? Get These Premarital Tests Done.
A premarital screening is a group of tests that offers a crucial health assessment of soon-to-be married couples in which they are tested for genetic, infectious and transmissible diseases to prevent any risk of transmitting any disease to each other and their offspring.
Getting these tests does not mean marriage is difficult, it just means that both parties can take an informed decision regarding marriage and also seek proper medical attention to avoid further complications.
If you are getting married, then these tests listed below are a must.
Blood Group Testing:
This test is easy to perform and result is usually ready within 30 minutes. There are different blood-types categorized in A, B, O along with a rhesus (RH) factor that can either be positive or negative. Women with RH negative blood group married to RH positive husbands have a greater chance of RH incompatibility where the mother produces antibodies (body defense system) to target the red blood cells of the growing fetus (RH positive fetus) leading to intrauterine death and miscarriages.
To prevent such a scenario, knowing your spouse’s blood group is a must, so that your doctor can take preventive measures to avoid RH incompatibility issues during pregnancy.
HIV & STD Test:
With the current prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), it is important that spouses request their partners to be screened for these diseases before marriage. HIV, hepatitis B and C are lifelong conditions that if not properly managed can put serious strain on the marriage. The knowledge of your partner’s status helps you protect yourself and seek adequate medical care if your partner tests positive and the marriage is still going ahead. Lifelong care and support is needed for partners who are infected. Other STDs e.g. gonorrhea, syphilis, bacterial vaginosis and warts can be treated with proper medical care. This reduces the risk of infertility and miscarriages during marriage.
Fertility Test:
This is important because fertility issues can be addressed as early as possible without the unnecessary biological, psychological, social and emotional trauma associated with barrenness. Fertility tests typically include: seminal analysis to assess male fertility; hormonal assay for both couples e.g. FSH, LH, prolactin, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone; ovulation test for women, a pelvic ultrasound scan may also be needed to assess the internal reproductive organs for any congenital or acquired abnormalities.
Testing for possible genetic /chronic medical conditions:
Genetic tests are done by analyzing small samples of blood or body tissue. This testing checks for hereditary diseases which helps both partners be prepared for any issues they may face later. It is especially referred in consanguineous marriages (relative couples) where the closer the relationship, the greater the risk.
This test should also include screening for diabetes, test for hypertension, certain cancers, kidney disease and test for thalassemia.
Getting a premarital checkup is important, however, not doing so before marriage doesn’t mean you can’t get it done later. The idea is to know your partner and his or her health status to be prepared for any complications that may crop up later in life.
