The Importance Of Premarital Health Checkups  

You may be preoccupied with your wedding planning and spending a fortune on your wedding attire, food and decor. Along with that, make sure you are enrolling for some health tests too.

If you really care about each other, make sure you get these tests done before you get married ©Shutterstock

There are many inherited diseases which can be passed from parents to children through genes. So, if you're about to get married, make sure you and your partner get these simple tests done before tying the knot to prevent the risk of transmitting any disease to each other and your children.

A premarital checkup helps the couple identify conditions which are genetic, transmissible and infectious. "Marriage is the biggest event in the lives of a couple, hence they should make sure they take care of their health too along with other factors. For couples considering marriage, pre-marital screening helps detect dormant illnesses and risks for their progeny. It also equips them to take essential precautions or treatments," says Amol Naikawadi, Preventive Healthcare Specialist, Indus Health Plus. Getting a health checkup done instead of matching horoscopes to fix a marriage should be the new norm considering the status of our health woes and lifestyle habits. A premarital checkup helps the couple in taking care of each other and their family. Although, everyone should undergo a preventive health checkup once every year, a premarital checkup can be done about six months before the wedding.

What should the couple get checked for?

1. Sexually transmitted diseases: HIV, hepatitis B and C are lifelong conditions that, if not managed properly can gravely affect married life. Syphilis, Gonorrhea and Herpes should also be tested for.
2. Inherited diseases: Bloodborne diseases like Haemophilia, Thalassemia, Marfan syndrome, Huntington s disease and sickle cell have high chances of being passed on to the progeny, hence they should be tested for.
3. Fertility: This is important because fertility issues can be addressed as early as possible without the unnecessary biological, psychological, social and emotional trauma associated with infertility.
4. Psychological conditions: It is important to check for conditions like schizophrenia, depression, mood disorders, mania and others through behavioural and personality disorders. Even conditions like obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorders, anger management issues, bipolar disorder should be checked for. It is a good idea to consult a psychiatrist or a psychologist to deal with mental health problems that you or partner has so you are better equipped for the future.