Weddings are a joyous celebration of love, commitment, and true friendship. Amidst the exciting preparations, prioritizing your health as a couple is crucial. Understanding your combined health status through specific medical tests before marriage is a vital step before embarking on your life journey together.
Your health status encompasses your overall physical and psychological well-being. Before committing to the ‘forever journey,’ couples are strongly advised (and in some contexts in Nigeria, required) to consult a doctor and undertake a series of medical tests before marriage. These pre-marriage medical tests provide a clear picture of each partner’s health, offering significant benefits.
Why Are Medical Tests Before Marriage Important?
Completing these checks offers several advantages:
1. Facilitates Early Detection
A key advantage of undergoing medical tests before marriage is the potential for early detection of underlying health conditions (like infections or genetic traits). This allows for timely treatment, management, or counselling before the wedding, preventing future complications.
2. Enhances Preparedness and Protection
These pre-marriage medical tests equip you and your partner with vital information. Knowing your status regarding infections (like STDs, HIV, Hepatitis) or genetic conditions (like sickle cell trait) helps you take necessary precautions to protect yourselves and manage health effectively within your marriage.
3. Supports Informed Decision-Making
Certain health factors, particularly genetic compatibility, can impact your future life together and the health of potential children. Completing your medical tests before marriage, including compatibility tests, empowers couples to make informed decisions regarding family planning and long-term well-being.
Essential Medical Tests Before Marriage: What Every Couple Should Consider
So, what specific tests should you do before marriage? Here’s a list of necessary pre-marriage medical tests recommended for couples in Nigeria:
1. Blood Group and Rhesus (Rh) Compatibility Tests
High on the list of essential medical tests before marriage are blood group and Rhesus factor checks. These compatibility tests for marriage help couples know their blood groups (A, B, AB, O) and Rh status (Positive or Negative). This information is useful for future blood donations but critically important for pregnancy planning.
Rhesus incompatibility (an Rh-negative woman carrying an Rh-positive baby) can lead to Rhesus disease, where the mother’s antibodies attack the baby’s blood cells. Incompatibility discovered during this medical test before marriage allows for preventative treatment (Rh Immune globulin injections during pregnancy) to ensure the baby’s safety.
2. Genotype Compatibility Check
Genotype compatibility is arguably one of the most critical medical tests before marriage in Nigeria, due to the prevalence of sickle cell trait (AS, AC). Your genotype (AA, AS, AC, SS, SC) determines if you carry the gene for sickle cell disease. This compatibility test before marriage is vital because the parents’ genotypes determine the potential genotypes of their children.
To avoid the significant health challenges and emotional toll of having a child with sickle cell disease (SS, SC), medical advice strongly discourages marriage between certain carriers (e.g., AS + AS, AS + AC, AS + SS).
Understanding Genotype Compatibility
(Chart adapted from AUN Health Centre)
- AA + AA = Excellent (All children AA)
- AA + AS = Good (Children AA or AS)
- AA + SS = Fair (All children AS – Carriers)
- AA + AC = Good (Children AA or AC)
- AS + AS = Very Bad (Risk of AA, AS, SS child) – Seek genetic counselling
- AS + SS = Very Bad (Risk of AS, SS child) – Seek genetic counselling
- AS + AC = Bad (Risk of AA, AC, AS, SS child) – Seek genetic counselling
- SS + SS = Very Bad (All children SS) – Seek genetic counselling
- AC + SS = Very Bad (Risk of AS, SS child) – Seek genetic counselling
- AC + AC = Bad (Risk of AA, AC, SS child) – Seek genetic counselling
3. STD Screening (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)
For any couple, especially if partners have been sexually active previously, comprehensive STD screening is a highly recommended medical test before marriage. This includes testing for infections like syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, Hepatitis B & C (see below), and HIV (see below).
Many STDs have no immediate symptoms but can cause long-term problems, including infertility. This premarital screening helps ensure early detection and treatment, allowing couples to start their married life with confidence in their sexual health.
4. HIV I & II Screening
Given that HIV is primarily transmitted sexually or through blood contact, testing for HIV is a crucial medical test before marriage.
Early diagnosis allows individuals to access life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and receive counselling on how to live healthily with the virus and prevent transmission to their partner or future children.
5. Hepatitis Screening (Hepatitis B & C)
Hepatitis B and C screening should be part of your medical tests before marriage. These viruses attack the liver, can become chronic, lead to serious health complications like cirrhosis or liver cancer, and are transmissible through body fluids (including sexual contact). Vaccination is available for Hepatitis B, making screening important for prevention.
6. Fertility Screening
While not always standard in basic pre-marriage medical tests, initial fertility screening can be important for couples planning to have children soon after marriage, especially if there are known risk factors (e.g., irregular periods, previous pelvic infections, family history).
This test before marriage might involve hormone level checks (for women), semen analysis (for men), and basic checks for conditions affecting fertility like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or fibroids in women. It’s often a starting point for discussion with a doctor.
Investing in a Healthy Future Together
This list covers key medical tests before marriage, but it may not be exhaustive. Your doctor might recommend additional screenings based on your individual and family medical histories during a pre-marital consultation.
Completing these pre-marriage medical tests is an investment in your future, so you can make well-informed decisions for a healthy and happy life together.
HealthTracka makes getting your medical tests before marriage simple and convenient in Nigeria. Arrange for sample collection from the comfort of your home in areas like Ibadan, Lagos, and Abuja, and receive confidential results typically within 24-48 hours.
Ready to book your pre-marriage medical tests? Click here to book the test now.
