Meeting someone you wish to spend the rest of your life with can be such a magical feeling. But before you commit to them in marriage, you want to make sure nothing along the way would ruin your union.
That is why it is advisable and very necessary that you conduct some medical tests before exchanging your wedding vows. Knowing your partner’s medical condition before marrying them is very important to prevent any unpleasant surprises.
Most times, your partner may not even know some things about them medically, and this could lead to problems in your marriage. That’s why there are some important medical tests to do before marriage.
To avoid issues in your marriage, you should endeavour to get some medical tests done, and we have listed some very important ones below.
10 Medical Tests To Do Before Marriage
Here are 10 important medical tests that a couple should do before marriage:
1. Genotype TestÂ
Knowing your partner’s genotype, as well as yours, is very important, especially if you hope to have kids in the marriage.
The last thing you would want is to give birth to a child with sickle cell disease, but this can happen if your genotype is not compatible.
There are three genotypes; AA, AS, and SS. People with AS are said to carry the sickle cell trait, even though they may be very healthy.
The problem manifests when two people with AS genotype get married as they would give birth to children with the SS genotype. AA is considered a normal genotype and can marry any other kind.
2. Blood Group and Rhesus Test
It is also important that both of you get to know your blood group. People with the same blood group can donate blood to each other in cases of emergencies.
The blood groups are A, B, AB, or O. There is also the Rhesus factor. One can either be Rhesus positive or negative. Knowing your Rhesus factor is also important to prevent haemolytic disease, which could affect your newborn child.
3. Fertility Test
If you are someone who loves kids and would like to have many running around your house someday, it is beyond necessary that you conduct a fertility test before you get married.
This is also conducted both on the man (seminal analysis) and the woman (pelvic ultrasound scans). Knowing your state would prevent a lot of problems in the marriage.
4. HIV Test
Getting an HIV test is also something important you must do. Because HIV can be contracted through various means, it is not enough for you to ascertain by yourself whether you have the virus or not.
Knowing that you and your partner are HIV-free is something that would give you rest of mind as you prepare to get married.
5. Other STIs
There are other sexually transmitted infections you need to get tested for before making proper marriage plans.
While some STIs are treatable, some, like herpes, could are untreatable and last for a very long time. So, it is always best to get tested beforehand.
6. Chronic Medical Conditions
Chronic medical conditions are diseases or illnesses that one could battle for a very long time.
This includes conditions like Hepatitis B and C, diabetes, kidney disease, high blood pressure, and so on. Being tested for such conditions would allow you to make plans to accommodate your conditions during the marriage.
This would also make your partner more understanding and supportive.
7. Mental Health Status
It is equally important for couples to undergo a mental health status assessment before getting married. Mental disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and some other neurodevelopmental disorders can be traced with a mental health status test. Also, some mental disorders are hereditary and can be passed on to the children.
8. Thalassaemia Test
Thalassaemia is a hereditary blood disorder that causes the body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Hemoglobin is a protein present in the red blood cells that enable red blood cells to carry oxygen.
Thalassemia can cause anemia and fatigue. Thalassemia is passed from parents to children through mutated hemoglobin genes and is common among African-Americans.
A simple blood test for thalassaemia before marriage will let intending couples determine if they are carriers or not. If both of them are not carriers, there won’t be an issue. But if the both are carriers, they may decide not to have any children or go for a test called amniocentesis.
Thus, within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, detect if the child is affected or not. Additionally, they can undergo assisted reproductive technology diagnosis, which screens an embryo in its early stages for genetic mutations along with in vitro fertilization.
This procedure can enable parents who have thalassemia or who are carriers of a defective hemoglobin gene to have healthy babies.
9. Genetic Counseling
Couples should consider genetic counseling before getting married if they have a family history of genetic disorders or if they are carriers of certain genetic mutations. Genetic counseling involves a consultation with a medical professional who specializes in genetics to discuss the potential risks and implications of having children with a genetic disorder.
Intending couples who have a family history of genetic disorders may be at increased risk of passing these conditions on to their children.
Genetic counseling can help couples understand their risk of having a child with a genetic disorder and explore options for reducing that risk.
Bottom Line
There is no shame in conducting these tests, and you should be very free to tell your partner if you have any medical condition. This would help build trust and relationships in the marriage.
10. Rubella Test
Women should undergo a Rubella test before getting married, especially they want to have children. Rubella is a viral infection that can cause a mild fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. While rubella is usually a mild illness, it can be very dangerous if contracted during pregnancy.
If a pregnant woman contracts rubella, the virus can cross the placenta and infect the developing fetus. This can lead to a condition known as congenital rubella syndrome, which can cause a range of birth defects, including deafness, blindness, heart defects.
It is important for women to get tested for rubella before getting pregnant because the vaccine should not be given during pregnancy.
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Collins Nwokolo is a human physiologist, writer and health enthusiast. He loves writing helpful articles on health and fitness, which he enjoys sharing with everyone.
