Marriage is a new beginning, a story that unfolds after you are done with education and you are settled or just on the cusp of starting one. There are no bounds when it comes to finding true love and getting married. Parents, especially in India do a lot of background checking when it comes to selecting a groom or bride for their children. Yet, they often overlook the health aspects that could impact the couple’s life after marriage.
Being unaware of your partner’s health condition can create discontent and frustration in your mind. To avoid such issues from cropping up after marriage, it is prudent to get a premarital check up done. Getting these medical tests before marriage doesn’t mean marriage is difficult. It just means that both the parties can take an informed decision regarding marriage and also seek proper treatment to avoid further complications.
5 Medical Tests Listed Below Are A Must Before Marriage
1. Blood Group Testing
This is a simple test, yet it can have far reaching effects. Knowing your partner’s blood group is a must to check for compatibility with your blood group. Blood group incompatibility can affect the baby you may have in future. To avoid such complications this medical test before marriage is a must and it’s quite easy.
There are different blood-types categorized in A, B, O along with an RH factor that can either be positive or negative. An RH incompatibility occurs when the mom’s blood type clashes with her baby. During pregnancy, the mother’s red blood cells could enter the placenta or the child and produce antibodies that attack the fetus. This often leads to jaundice and it is one of the topmost causes during or closer to delivery for intra-uterine deaths, miscarriages and even brain damage.
To prevent such a scenario, knowing your partner’s blood group is a must. So that your doctor can take preventive measures to avoid RH incompatibility issues during pregnancy.
2. HIV And STD Test
Considering the scenario today where there are many people suffering from HIV or Sexually Transmitted Diseases, it is very important that the couple requests screening for these diseases before marriage. Diseases like Hepatitis B and C, HIV will continue through life and need to be managed properly. If they are not, it could put a lot of pressure on the marriage.
Knowing your partner’s health status helps you protect yourself. You can seek medical help if you or your partner turns out to be positive and you have decided to get married to him or her. You should also know that those infected require care and support all through their life. Other sexually transmitted diseases that the test can check for syphilis, gonorrhea, warts, bacterial vaginosis etc., which can be treated properly if diagnosed early. Such treatment also reduces the risk of miscarriages and infertility issues during the marriage.
To prevent a breakdown of marriage due to health issues, this medical test before marriage is a must. You can check with your physician for more information.
3. Test For Fertility
It may not be polite, but getting a fertility test done is a must for all couples that intend to walk down the aisle. This is important as it gives you time to address any issues as early as possible without the added psychosomatic, genetic, emotional and societal strain connected to infertility for either partner.
This test includes a semen analysis to check for male fertility while an ovulation test to test fertility in women. To check for genetic or developed abnormalities in the reproductive organs a pelvic ultrasound is done. An array of hormonal tests such as Prolactin, FSH, LH, Testosterone, Estrogen, and Progesterone are meant for both the man and woman.
4. Genetic Testing for Sickle Cell
This is another medical test in the premarital check up that you should test for definitely. The sickle cell disease is a prolonged and unbearable health condition, which is caused by a deficiency in the red blood cells. The red blood cells are shaped just like a sickle. And it affects their ability to pass through blood vessels to supply oxygen to the different parts of the body. An absence of enough oxygen in the body may cause other chronic health issues faced by most sickle cell patients.
Doctors’ advice sickle cell patients (SS) to avoid marriage with another carrier of the sickle cell gene (AS) as they have the chances of their baby suffering from the same disease is nearly 50% in every pregnancy. However, a sickle cell patient can definitely marry a person who has no genetic traits of the disease (AA). This would mean that their children would only be carriers of the gene.
To prevent complications in childbirth this medical test before marriage is a must. Your doctor can advise you on the proper protocol to follow in case the test is positive for the gene mutation.
5. Testing For Genetic Conditions
Marriage often requires a lifelong commitment from both the partners. Knowing each other’s biological history is also a part of knowledge you should have before getting married. A test to check for inherited or hereditary diseases will help both the partners to be prepared for any issues they may face later.
Testing allows for early detections and helps the couple seek medical treatment before the disease advances and becomes terminal. The genetic condition one suffers depends on the region and the health issues faced by the population of that place. Other than this, the test should also check for diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, cholesterol issues, coronary conditions, kidney conditions, and even thalassemia.
To avoid and prevent health complications in both the partners and their offspring getting this test done is a must. Taking preventive measures is easy when you know what genetic conditions you could suffer from.
Getting a premarital check up 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.
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