07/08/2022
LABORATORY PREMARITAL SCREENING
Finding one’s soul mate for marriage is a beautiful thing, taking the right step before the marriage proper is very important. Laboratory premarital screening is one of the necessary things to do before signing ‘for forever’ with your partner. The health status of two people going into marriage is very important than the merriment associated with the wedding party.
Health status is an all-around summary of your physical and psychological well-being. To confirm this, a laboratory screening is required and can go a long way to decide the future of the two parties involved in the marriage.
Why Do I Need a Laboratory Screening Before Marriage?
A great advantage pre-marital laboratory screening offer you is early detection. Early detection offers an opportunity for treatment early on before the marriage (FM Alswaidi, SJ O'brien 2010). This will help prevent issues after get married.
You’ll need a premarital laboratory screening to equip you and your partner with the needed information to keep yourselves safe and prepared in cases of diagnosed infections or conditions.
Another reason is that a premarital test can help couples make the right and most informed decisions in the interest of their wellbeing and that of their unborn children.
What Laboratory Premarital Test Should Couples Do?
Below is a list of laboratory tests couples should take before their wedding:
1. Blood Group & Compatibility Tests
This tops the list of laboratory tests to do before saying ‘I do’. These tests usually help couples stay informed on their respective blood groups and compatibility for blood donation in future. (AO Ogbimi et al. 1987). Blood group and compatibility tests also keep the couple in the loop of risks and factors associated with rhesus disease – a condition that causes antibodies in a pregnant woman to destroy the blood cells of her foetus.
Checking blood group compatibility would automatically have your rhesus factors checked. In cases of incompatibility, you (the woman) would be prescribed Rh Immune globulin which is to help ease off risks associated with pregnancy by ensuring the healthiness and safety of the foetus if you are already pregnant or about to.
2. Genotype Check
This is as important as the first one 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 (A Kumari et al. 2018).
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.
3. STD Screening
You’ll need to have a test conducted if one or both of the partners have a record of s*xual activities before coming together. Tests need to be done on possible s*xually transmitted infections including but not limited to syphilis, gonorrhoea, herpes, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, yeast infection to mention a few. Usually, the help this pre-marriage medical test offer is early detection and treatment. Early treatment would ensure that post-wedding, both of you are safe to lead a smooth and healthy s*xual life.
4. HIV/AIDS Test
HIV and AIDS can be transferred from one person to another through unprotected s*x or use of unsterilized sharp objects such as clippers, knives, blades, etc. To stay safe, you are required to take tests. If positive, you would be required to start anti-retroviral medications.
Accordingly, infected persons would be advised and counseled rightly by doctors and professionals on how best to stay safe during s*x, and the necessaries to do in consideration of childbearing.
5. Fertility Test
Marriage entails that you bring forth your offspring for most people. To make this possible, a fertility test is required. There are some things to check for fertility. Some include PCOS (polycystic o***y syndrome), hormonal imbalance, fibroids, cervical cancer, endometriosis in women, as well as s***m counts, prostate cancer, and sterility in men.
The Bottom Line
There is a long list of tests that can be done before committing to your partner for life. Your doctor may recommend asking you a few questions and studying your medical history. To make well-informed decisions on your health status post-wedding, you should ensure you take necessary and recommended medical tests.
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