1) What is premarital health screening (PHS)?
Premarital health screening is a comprehensive group of tests for those who are planning to get married. Most individuals are not fully aware of the exact condition of their health, a person may look healthy, but he/she may have undetected health problems, or be a silent carrier of infectious or hereditary diseases. For couples considering marriage, pre-marital screening helps identify potential health problems and risks for themselves and also their offspring. Couples in a consanguineous marriage run the risk of having children with genetic birth defects such as Down’s syndrome and Thallasemia, as such, it is vital for these couples to be screened in order to aid them to understand their genetics and help them take the necessary precautions or treatments.
2) We are getting married in a month's time and planning to have children within the next 2 years. Should we go for premarital health screening?
Absolutely! It helps to prevent serious health complications or genetic defects such as Thalassaemia Major from being passed down to your children. Premarital Health Screening helps you to make informed decisions or prepare you mentally when you are planning for a family and offers you the peace of mind you deserve for you and your future children’s health.
3) We are still not convinced, can you give us reasons why we should really go for it?
Reason 1: PHS detects infectious diseases.
With Singaporeans becoming more promiscuous in lifestyle, it is of great importance to make sure that you and your future spouse have a clean slate of health before marriage. Though you should have complete trust in each other, some things are hard to predict in life and it is always better to be on the safer side
. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is transmitted easily via unprotected sex and patients can remain asymptomatic for up to 8 years. Either party can get the disease unknowingly from previous partners to no fault of theirs. In 2009,
about 90% of the new cases were males and 10% were females. . This brings the total number of HIV infected Singaporeans to 4,404 as of end 2009. As at 31 Dec 2009, 2,089 persons are asymptomatic carriers, 1,037 have AIDS-related illnesses and 1,278 have died.
HBV can be passed from mother to baby during birth. Therefore, it is imperative to safeguard yourself from these potentially life-threatening diseases with simple screening.
World Health Organization (WHO) notes that HBV is 50 - 100 times more infectious.
Reason 2: PHS detects hereditory disorders.
Thalassaemia is an inherited condition affecting haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the chemical inside the red blood cells which carries oxygen from the lungs to all body parts. Thalassaemia results in anaemia because of low hemoglobin and a low amount of red blood cells. For the mild form called thalassaemia trait, major treatment may not be necessary. However, persons with more severe forms may need blood transfusions on a regular basis.
Patients who are carriers of the disease usually do not exhibit any symptoms. The problem only arises when both you and you partner are carriers, meaning that there is a chance that your offsprings may inherit a particularly severe form of the disease which requires lifelong blood transfusion.
Early detection of the disease and genetic counselling may enable you to make a decision if you should go ahead with the marriage or pregnancy
Reason 3: Early detection of fertility issues.
Engaging in premarital health screening also helps detect viral infections like Rubella (German measles) and Varicella (Chickenpox). Both Rubella and Varicella are highly contagious viral infections, with transmissions through air or by direct contact, which can turn serious when the infection occurs in pregnant women, especially in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The results of the premarital health screening will enable the couple to make an informed decision to consider vaccination before conception.
Some clinics in Europe and U.S.A offer comprehensive tests such as chromosomal and sperm analyzes to detect potential fertility problems. These are relatively expensive tests and are not offered in the premarital health screening packages on offer in local hospitals though there is always an option for you to add on the tests and pay the extra cost.
Reason 4: Basic health status screening.
Premarital health screening also provides basic health screening like detecting high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer screening tests like breast cancer for women. There will also be a follow up with doctor's consultation on your blood test results and general health status.
4) Is PHS expensive?
1.
KK Children and Women Hospital: $268 (exclusive of GST)
2.
National University Hospital: $460 (inclusive of GST)
3.
Raffles Medical Group: Female: $450, Male: $360, Couple: $713 (exclusive of GST)
The prices of premarital health screening packages are as shown above. Some couples may consider it expensive, however paying a small price for a peace of mind on the above reasons mentioned is priceless.
Disclaimer: The author do not have vested interest in any of the hospitals mentioned above. Price comparisons are solely for public information.
5) Can we pay using our Medisave accounts?
No, currently for outpatient screening services, Ministry of Health (MOH) do not allow couples to use their Medisave for PHS.
References:
http://www.ttsh.com.sg/patient-guide/medical-departments/page.aspx?id=1309
http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/diseases.aspx?id=420
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/diseases/article.aspx?id=742
