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| Couple consulting at Marie Stopes/Courtesy |
Apart from genotype and blood group, what other tests should people who intend to marry do?
The answer is simple: the pre-marital tests you do depends on how thorough both of you want to be. The list is endless.
It’s better to go beyond just pregnancy tests, genotype, and HIV test. This is important because some health problems that would be discovered could be easily treated and corrected, saving you plenty of headaches and heartaches during your honeymoon and marriage.
Here are a few essential tests.
COMMON ONES like Genotype test [to prevent having a sickler]; pregnancy test; Blood group test [if you are a lady, and you’re O-, A-, B-, or AB-, any of the negatives, you need to see a doctor immediately!]
SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED DISEASES TESTS like HIV test, Hepatitis B virus test, and so on.
“FERTILITY” TESTS. For the lady: hormonal test [LH, FSH, and Progesterone] and abdominopelvic scan; For the guy: hormonal test [testosterone] and semen analysis [for things like sperm count and so on]
OTHERS: You could add tests like Blood glucose [to check for diabetes], Lipid profile [for blood fat], X-ray [to check the chest], and ECG [to check the heart] …the list, is endless!
To cut this long story short, both of you should simply go and see your doctor. He will ask many personal questions [including previous accidents, admission, surgeries, abortions, and so on; and ask for some diseases in your family that are inheritable]. He will also carefully examine both of you [… including your genitals o! Let’s be doubly sure!]
Ladies and gentlemen, take your weight [and calculate your BMI] before marriage! And write it down!