Premarital screening refers to the activity of testing couples who are planning to get married soon for common genetic blood disorders, such as sickle cell, anemia and thalassemia, and infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, and hepatitis B and C.
The premarital screening aims to give medical consultation on the odds of transmitting these diseases to the other partner or children, providing partners with options to help them plan for a healthy family.
For instance, East Africa International Medical Center’s premarital screening packages make it important for couples to have healthy families and children authentically knowing each other’s health status after marriage.
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What are the main objectives of this premarital screening program?
There are various reasons why premarital screening is recommended for every couple, and these include the following.
- Limiting the spread of some genetic blood diseases such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia and infectious diseases like hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
- Promoting awareness about the concept of a comprehensive healthy marriage.
- Reducing pressure on health institutions and blood banks.
- Avoiding the social and psychological problems for families whose children suffer.
- Reducing the family and community’s financial burdens of treating the injured persons.
In our premarital screening package, we do blood tests for infectious, inherited, and other gymnastic-related diseases that include but are not limited to the following.
HIV/AIDS
Starting with HIV, we all know it is one of the obvious sexually transmitted diseases, and during marriage preparations knowing your partner’s HIV/AIDS status without undergoing the testing is impossible because the patient does not show symptoms.
Therefore doing the HIV/AIDS test is very important and must be prioritized! What is important in these HIV/AIDS tests is that it means every individual both male and female must be protected from the virus before they commit to marriage vows.
Unfortunately, there is an upsurge in the spread of HIV/AIDS among people right now. So knowing each other’s health status before marriage is very crucial. For example, if they are positive, they can live healthy lives while taking their medication.
Note. Biologically, parents’ health is reflected directly in the children or the entire family. That’s why we’re emphasizing that HIV testing should be done first. We were asked about what problems HIV causes to either the baby, mother, or even the father, and these can include the following: in the mother and father or even the baby.
Abortion. One of the problems can be abortion and other related diseases.
If the mother or father knows their health status, they can easily get helpful advice from health professionals after and during pregnancy, and during and after birth.
For example, I’m talking about how to do it during labor and how to continue breastfeeding the baby after delivery for people who already have the virus in their blood. However, if you are free from the virus, there is nothing to give you more than advice and counseling.
Smallpox
The next disease that is part of the premarital testing package is smallpox which is a curable disease, but its consequences are huge, especially in infants. Smallpox is a secondary recurring disease, which means it is easy to treat but if not treated, smallpox usually has no symptoms and can last for years.
Like the first disease, it reaches the tertiary stage. Smallpox stays in the blood for many years and even causes metabolic problems. It can even expose you to stroke, in babies in terms of separation, death, and even defective babies can be born, due to smallpox. To mitigate these health issues, you must get tested for smallpox and know your health status.
Syphilis
So getting these tests for syphilis before marriage helps prevent one of your partners from getting infected. Secondly, your health status will be known and thirdly, the new marriage you are starting will have healthy children.
Hepatitis
As we know, there are more than five types of viruses of hepatitis. Of all these, the most sexually transmitted and the most dangerous are B and C.
These diseases can be treated and if we know our health status and have this virus in our blood, we can treat it easily. But if we don’t treat it fast, the infected individual can get a lot of problems.
For example, if we look at hepatitis, it attacks the liver so it can cause liver damage that will eventually cause liver failure. It can also cause cancer. Hepatitis B and C are best known for causing liver cancer and other related diseases to the kidneys and other body organs.
And in babies, it can lead to miscarriages as we said. Additionally, it can cause other damage to the baby’s internal organs.
Therefore, hepatitis B and C should be tested for the presence of the virus in the blood. Fortunately, these are diseases that we can diagnose and treat easily.
Blood Groups
Finally, it is about the blood groups as we all know the obvious blood groups are eight (8) which include the following:
- A positive (A+)
- A negative (A-)
- B positive (B+ )
- B negative (B-)
- AB positive (AB+)
- AB negative (AB-)
- O positive (O+)
- O negative (O-)
There are other blood types but the most common are the eight mentioned above.
Why is it important to know our blood type status?
Because it is important, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. If case the girl’s anesthesia has been Rh negative, and she has reached labor without knowing it, it can be hard to control for the next second or third child. She should know her blood type as much as possible before pregnancy and childbirth.
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Conclusion
Hence, couples planning to get married soon are advised to conduct the premarital screening at least three months before the marriage date. So that the couple can plan their lives better, as the premarital compatibility certificate is valid for only six months. The screening for infectious diseases can also be conducted when needed.
East Africa International Medical Center is organizing these tests at two branches, the first at South Point Mall, Kabalagala next to Kingsgate building, and the second at Ndeeba on Masaka Road, Kampala.