Important Diagnostic Tests to Take Before Marriage

You have met that one person with who you are prepared to take the next step. Cheers! Love is such a beautiful thing. 

As you are embarking on this new journey known as marriage, all your choices will now be made from consideration for two. You would have to treat both your and your partner’s health as a priority. To embrace this journey complete diagnostic tests play an important role.

To keep you and your partner in top condition, there are diagnostic tests which need to be taken. Now, a blood genotype test may seem to be the most important test to be taken by intending couples but in actuality, there are a lot more tests that are equally important. Some of these tests include:

HIV and STDs test:

You should be on the lookout for the possibility of infections such as HIV, Hepatitis B, and C, Herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, yeast infections, etc. The knowledge of your partner’s status should guide you in taking proper measures to protect yourself. There are three types of HIV diagnostic tests: nucleic acid tests (NAT), antigen/antibody tests, and antibody tests.

• NATs look for the actual virus in the blood.
• Antigen/antibody tests look for both HIV antibodies and antigens.
• Antibody tests look for antibodies to HIV in your blood or oral fluid.

Fertility Test:

Fertility tests come in the form of hormonal assay, pelvic ultrasound scans, seminal analysis, etc. They are worth taking to curb surprises and emotional stresses which may arise from fertility-related issues. It is valuable to test both you and your partner’s status. 

Blood Genotype Test:

It is crucial to know what both your genotypes are before deciding to have a child. In cases where the genotypes of the spouses do not go together well, there is a risk of the offspring having sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is a life-long one that is related to a defect in the red blood cells, causing serious illnesses. Here is a list of genotype compatibility:

• AA + AC= compatible
• AA + SS = compatible
• AA +AA= compatible
• AA +AS= compatible
• AC+ SS= incompatible
• AS + AS = incompatible
• AS + SC = incompatible
• AS + SS = incompatible
• AS+ AC= incompatible
• AS+Sβ-Thal = incompatible
• SC+ SS= incompatible
• SS + SS= Incompatible

Blood Group:

It is pivotal to have an idea of the blood group of the person with who you are choosing to spend the rest of your life, to prevent issues arising from blood group or rhesus incompatibility. The blood group falls into categories such as A, B, O, or AB, however, there is also another component known as the Rhesus factor. The Rhesus factor can either be negative or positive and if a Rhesus negative woman pairs up with a Rhesus positive man, there is a fifty percent probability their offspring will be Rhesus positive. Therefore, if there are no precautions during pregnancy in this scenario, the baby could have a hemolytic disease.

Long-term or chronic medical conditions:

The knowledge of existing medical conditions will help partners plan better on how to take adequate care of each other. Early testing and diagnosis for conditions such as kidney disease, high blood pressure, heart illness, diabetes, etc., create avenues for swift medical assistance and vital lifestyle changes. It is important to know the state of your health so that you can always make healthy and informed choices.

Conclusion: 

It is key to play safe when it comes to your pre-marital health status. Ticking off your health checks before your big day doesn’t only involve a blood genotype test but a lot more so that you can have the ‘Happily ever after’ you have always dreamt of. Now as you know what are the important diagnostic tests to take before marriage, book an appointment with Afriglobal Medicare.