Are Premarital tests important?

Jonathan and Sandra have had three stillbirths. They did not know why - and amidst family myths and gossip that she was bewitched, Sandra had to also deal with rumours that she had several abortions in her teenage years. Neither was true.
“Things had been crumbling until we decided to seek a professional medical look into our situation. Fortunately, Jonathan is very educated and he did not believe all the witchcraft talk,” Sandra confessed, revealing that they had a wrangle over the abortion rumours but all that was settled once they visited a private hospital in Kampala. The doctor said it was a “chromosomal issue” in my body.
For Denis Ddumba, he was disturbed when his second child was born a sickler (an individual with sickle-cell trait or sickle cell anemia).

Tindy, his first born, had just died only a year back, and Timothy was now two years old.
“My wife was healthy, so was I. I honestly thought that since I had skipped the generation of sicklers, our children too would survive it,” he said as we spoke in the hospital corridor at Mulago hospital.
Like Ddumba, many Ugandans ignore health tests that otherwise might harm their relationship.
To date, the most common test that has been advocated is HIV testing. Well, of course, lately, DNA testing mostly to prove paternity is also rising.

Yet, there are numerous other diseases and genetic hindrances to happy relationships. Among these are sickle cell, stillbirth, miscarriage, albinism and other deficiencies.
However, medical research has discovered ways to detect these misfits; treating and protecting couples from difficulties they might bring forth.
John Massa, aka Taata Molly, a taxi conductor on the Kamwokya-Ntinda route, is an albino father of two non-albino daughters.
His wife says she had never met a man as loving and caring as Massa.
She chose to marry him regardless.
But while they are happy, they are uncertain of their children being carriers of the gene.

Medical research
According to the Nova Evolution Library, the human body is made of the major histocompatibility complex genes, which often attract females to men. They evoke preference naturally detecting men whose immune system is different from theirs. The MHC gene ensures that her offspring will be healthy.
But, this compatibility is medically detectable; citing if immunological differences are compatible for partners. However, have you thought about going to test for these with your loved one before you consider bearing children?
Dr Nathan Kyeswa, a private health practitioner, said very many Ugandans never test for genetic health. Following Your Guide to Understanding Genetic Conditions, research from Genetic Home Reference, from the US National Library, he took me through different types of tests.

Do people actually care?
Because of the heat of the moment that comes with being in love, most people ignore these tests since they are afraid of the decision that may arise in case of a not-so-fine partner.
Sylvia Nakyeyune did not think about carrying out such tests. Once she and Tonny Musumba took their HIV tests and her parents were happy, the next step was marriage. Unfortunately, Nakyeyune has had to endure the pain of four miscarriages and one sickler child. Her deepest sorrow now is that had she known of these tests prior, perhaps she would have saved herself the humiliation. Her in-laws forced Musumba to marry again. He now has three sickler children.

Doctor recommends these tests

Genetic testing. “Genetic testing can provide information about a person’s genes and chromosomes.” Dr Kyeswa said. Carrier testing is vital because it identifies people who carry one copy of a gene mutation that when present in two copies causes genetic disorders. This type is in individuals with family history of conditions such as sickle cell. If both parents are tested it can reduce risks.
Newborn screening. This is done just after birth to “identify genetic disorders that can be treated early in life, such as phenylketonuria (causes intellectual disability if left untreated),” he explained.

Diagnostic testing. This identifies and rules out specific conditions based on physical signs and symptoms. Dr Kyeswa suggests that in case you missed precautionary testing, then prenatal testing during pregnancy can detect changes in the fetus. It shows if the child will have mishaps, but it cannot identify inherited disorders.
Predictive and presymptomatic testing. This detects mutations that happen after birth or later in life. It determines “whether a person will develop a genetic disorder such as iron overload (hereditary hemochromatosis)” Your Guide to Understanding Genetic Conditions study suggests.