How many methods are available to assist people with infertility, and what are they?
IUI, ICSI, and IVF are assisted reproductive technologies for treating, the answers for those who want to have children.
Getting married is an important step in a couple’s life and marks the beginning of laying the foundation for a family consisting of ‘father, mother, and children’. Therefore, family planning is very important. Before deciding to enter the marriage gate, one thing that should be given importance is to undergo a health check-up before marriage, in order to prepare oneself for family life and for couples who want to have children and complete their family.
Why should couples get a health check-up before getting married?
In today’s society, the trend of getting married later in life has increased. Additionally, people must deal with work-related stress, which can affect their health leading to difficulties in conceiving or pregnancy. Therefore, a health check-up before marriage for both men and women is necessary to evaluate the overall health and genetic abnormalities. If the couple is healthy and fit, it increases the likelihood of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Moreover, a health check-up before marriage can help couples who are facing fertility issues or genetic disorders to consult with a doctor and plan for appropriate treatment or preventive measures.
Benefits of premarital health check-up:
- Reduces the risk of sexually transmitted diseases.
Having a health check-up before marriage helps reduce the risk of transmitting diseases to each other and also reduces the risk of complications in the couple’s life. It also helps reduce the risk of transmitting diseases from mother to child, as the chances of transmitting diseases to each other pass through sexual intercourse and blood. Some diseases may not show clear symptoms in the early stages, but can be detected through blood tests, such as syphilis, hepatitis B virus, or even HIV/AIDS. - Avoid the transmission of genetic diseases.
Genetic disorders are diseases that are inherited from either the father or mother, with genes controlling various characteristics of organisms. Pre-marital health check-ups enable couples to avoid the transmission of genetic diseases to their offspring. For example, hemophilia is a bleeding disorder that is caused by a genetic mutation and is more common in males. Thalassemia and Huntington’s disease are also examples of genetic disorders. By assessing the risk of having severely ill children, couples can make an informed decision about whether to have children or not, or plan how to cope with the high cost of treatment if their child is at risk of a genetic disease. - Assessing fertility readiness.
Just because a couple is healthy doesn’t mean they are ready to conceive, as many couples want to have children but face difficulties. Therefore, evaluating the health of both partners can help them prepare for potential fertility problems. Assessing fertility readiness can also help with family planning, as it allows couples to prepare for potential fertility issues in any one of them and plan accordingly. - Blood group compatibility test.
Getting a health check before marriage also allows couples who want to have children to test their blood group compatibility. In this case, many couples may think that testing blood group compatibility is not necessary, but in fact, knowing in advance the compatibility of blood groups will help predict the occurrence of Rhesus Disease. This is a condition where the mother and the baby have different Rh blood groups. If the mother’s blood group is Rh- (Rh-negative) but the baby’s blood group in the womb is Rh+ (Rh-positive), it can result in Rh incompatibility, which can lead to conditions such as anemia, jaundice, lethargy, and hypotonia. However, these symptoms can be alleviated after receiving treatment for blood group incompatibility.
What will happen if you don’t get a premarital health check-up?
If you don’t get a health check before getting married, there may be risks if there are underlying diseases that have not been treated. The disease may worsen or become more severe, and it may prevent the couple from having children as desired. Additionally, if pregnancy occurs without a prior health check, there may be complications during pregnancy that can cause the fetus to grow poorly, lead to a miscarriage, or premature birth.
Diseases that can be transmitted to your partner or your offspring include:
– HIV/AIDS
– Syphilis
– Anemia or Thalassemia
– German Measles
– Hepatitis B
What health check-ups should be done before getting married? What health check-ups should be done before getting married?
Many people understand that it is a general health check-up, but in fact, it is a deep genetic-level examination that helps couples who want to have children or have difficulty having children to plan appropriately. The health check-up process includes the following details:
Starting with visiting a reproductive health doctor, a medical genetics specialist to plan for the family. The doctor will take a detailed medical history of the couple, and then proceed to health examination according to the program set by the hospital and family planning clinic.
- The health check-up for couples includes preparing the woman’s health before pregnancy by conducting an internal examination to check for the completeness of the uterus and ovaries (Transvaginal Ultrasound), as well as screening for HPV infection and cervical cancer (ThinPrep and HPV DNA) to prevent fetal growth retardation, slow fetal growth, premature birth or miscarriage.
- Testing for immunity against German measles is a method of preventing infection from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy, which can result in abnormality. Therefore, if the woman does not have immunity, the doctor will recommend getting vaccinated before getting pregnant.
- Testing for genetic diseases, such as thalassemia, is performed to prevent various diseases caused by hidden genetic traits from parents to the baby. Medical data shows that more than 45% of Thai people are carriers of thalassemia or genetic diseases from their parents, which can lead to various diseases such as abnormal liver and heart function, and low birth weight.
- Testing for hepatitis B virus is recommended because there is a high risk of the baby contracting the virus during childbirth if the mother is infected, up to 90%. Therefore, if the woman does not have immunity, the doctor will recommend getting vaccinated before pregnancy.
When checking their health before getting married, for couples with diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, anemia, thyroid disorders, or heart disease, which pose risks during pregnancy, experienced and skilled doctors should provide close and accurate care. This is because pregnancy can be dangerous for both the mother and the unborn child. For those who have difficulty conceiving or giving birth, the doctor will follow a step-by-step treatment process, starting from checking sperm in men and eggs in women to increase the chance of pregnancy by providing advice on ovulation days, and progressing to assisted reproductive technologies such as Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI) or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI).
Getting a health check-up before marriage is something that cannot be overlooked and is extremely important for couples, especially for those who want to have children and have to face fertility problems. If you are a couple who needs advice on fertility problems, the Genesis Fertility Center is a clinic for those who have difficulty conceiving, using technology and innovation to help solve problems for those who are struggling with fertility problems, from identifying the causes to selecting the most suitable, cost-effective treatment methods offering the highest results.
Call Center 097-484-5335
Monday–Friday: 9.00–20.00 Saturday–Sunday: 8.00–20.00.
