Before deciding to get married, couples should carefully consider and undergo a few medical examinations.
There are medical truths about your partner that you need to be aware of and prepared to live with before you take that leisurely, almost rhythmic stroll down the aisle.
We enumerate five medical examinations that a couple must have had and thoroughly discussed before to deciding whether to walk away or continue down the aisle.
- Genotype:
This test will tell whether one or both partners are sicklers (SS), carriers of the sickle cell trait (AS) or whether their genotype is normal (AA).
Such is the importance of this test that even without being told, couples have been known to take the initiative of finding out for themselves.
And where there are couples who are too careless to check, marriage counselors have been known to mandate it for anyone who wants to marry.
- Blood group:
Refusing to subject themselves to this test means couples carelessly run the risk of a condition called hemolytic disease of the newborn which, according to Doctor’s Hub Nigeria, causes stillbirths and miscarriages.
Knowing your partner’s blood group can prove useful in saving his or her life during an emergency.
- HIV test:
HIV/AIDS is a notoriously scary infection and the sheer number of deaths it causes makes it a no-brainer for couples to check for its presence in each other.
It always makes sense to know what you are getting into before getting rudely shocked when you’re already in it.
- Fertility test index:
This one is done to be sure of the fertility of both the husband and the wife.
According to Doctor’s Hub, fertility problems are usually not detected by couples until about two or more years after marriage and unsuccessful trials at conceiving.
So it is important for the test to be done as it profiles the reproductive hormones in both partners: semen analysis is carried out on the man and ovulation tested in the woman.
Couples who intend to not have kids may need not worry about this one though.
- Test for STDs:
This may sound extreme and appear like the whole point of these medical examinations is being overstretched but that’s not the case.
This is because infections like gonorrhea, if left untreated can grow out of hands and lead to infertility in the woman; causing strains and other issues in the marriage.
Content by: Akosua Boatemaa
