The Pre-marriage Medical Tests Every Couple Should Do

A premarital test is a test 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 children.

A healthy marriage should guarantee to prevent the family members from hereditary and infectious diseases; thus building a happy and stable family.

In healthy marriages, spouses are sexually and emotionally faithful to each other. Spouses who are intimate, emotionally supportive, trusting, and caring have healthy marriages.

Premarital screening is testing couples who are planning to get married soon for common genetic blood disorders (e.g. sickle cell anemia and thalassemia and sickle cell anemia) and infectious diseases (e.g. hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS).

Couples who are planning to get married soon, are usually advised to conduct the premarital screening at least 3 months before the marriage date; so that the couple can plan their lives better, as the premarital compatibility certificate is valid for only six months. The screening for infectious diseases can also be reconducted when needed.

Six Major Pre-Marriage Medical Test

1. Blood Group And Compatibility Tests:

Blood compatibility testing is conducted in a medical laboratory to identify potential incompatibilities between blood group systems in blood transfusion.
It is also used to diagnose and prevent some complications of pregnancy that can occur when the baby has a different blood group from the mother.

2.STD Test Screening

As long as you’re sexually active, you should be tested for STDs at least once a year. If you have more than one partner, share intravenous (IV) needles, or don’t always practice safer sex by using a condom each time you have intercourse, you should be tested every three to six months.

An STI test can check for any of the following infections:

Chlamydia.
Genital warts.
Gonorrhea.
Hepatitis.
Herpes.
HIV.
HPV.
Pubic lice (crabs)

3. Genotype Test:

A genotype is the entire genetic constitution of an individual, i.e. the genetic makeup of an organism or group of organisms with reference to a single trait, set of traits, or an entire complex of traits. In a nutshell: your genotype is your complete heritable genetic identity; the sum total of genes transmitted from parent to offsprin.

Genotype check is important as a pre-marriage medical test because it affects future offspring directly.

The genotype of parents defines the genotype of offspring. Genotypes are integral players in your body’s genetic make-up and determine whether a future offspring could be a sickle cell carrier.

Given the seriousness of sickle cell disease, doctors often advise that specific genotype groupings should not pair up in marriage to avoid the risk of kid(s) with the sickle cell condition. They include AS, AC, SS, and SC genotypes.

The AUN health centre made a simpler breakdown for understanding on when to seek medical advice:

AA + AA = AA, AA, AA, AA (Excellent)
AA + AS = AA, AS, AA, AS, (Good)
AA + SS = AS, AS, AS, AS, (Fair)
AA + AC = AA, AA, AA, AC. (Good)
AS + AS = AA, AS, AS, SS, (Very Bad)
AS + SS = AS, SS, SS, SS, (Very Bad)
AS + AC = AA, AC, AS,SS. (Bad; Advice needed)
SS + SS = SS, SS, SS, SS, (Very Bad)
AC + SS = AS, AS, SS, SS, (Very Bad)
AC + AC = AA, AC, AC, SS. ( Bad; Advice needed)

4.Hiv 1 & 11 And Aids Tests

Over the past decade, a growing number of religious communities, national governments, and state, city, and village governments have adopted mandatory premarital HIV testing policies. In many cases, people who test positive for HIV are forbidden from entering into marriage.

This is the HIV-1/2 antigen/antibody combination immunoassay test. If you test positive for HIV, then you do follow-up tests: HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody differentiation immunoassay. This test is to confirm HIV and find out if you have HIV-1 or HIV-2.

5.Hepatitis

It is vital for couples to be screened in order to aid them to understand their genetics and help them take the necessary precautions or treatments. Infectious diseases like Hepatitis B Virus (HCV) and Hepatitis B Virus (HBV).

A person living with hepatitis B can get married. In fact, a healthy relationship can be a source of love and support for those who may feel alone in their diagnosis. Transmission of hepatitis B can be prevented in your partner; it’s a vaccine preventable disease!

6.Fertility Test before marriage

Both partners should undergo an infertility test before their marriage. In men, it helps in checking the health of sperm, and the sperm count as well. Women can also become clear if they will face any problem in conceiving or not