While good looks, a sound career, mental compatibility and a proper match of the horoscopes may be major criteria in an arranged marriage, you should not ignore something as important as health. Get these health tests done to find out if your health kundlis match too.

Get tested for STDs
It may sound awkward to state this, but remember it is important. Before getting married, get tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as gonorrhea, syphilis, genital warts. Even if both of you are virgins, these tests are advisable. Some STDs cannot be fully prevented by condom use. Not just an intercourse, even oral or anal sex, or use of infected syringes could have transmitted these infections; either of you could be harboring these infections without being aware of them. With marriage and sex, you could transmit the infection to your partner as well.

Bacterial STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and trichomoniasis can be treated and cured by antibiotics. Viral STDs such as HIV/AIDS, genital herpes, cytomegalovirus can only be controlled, not cured.

Women can have serious health problems from STDs. An infection of the uterus, ovaries, or the fallopian tubes can lead to infertility. Mothers with STDs can infect the child in their wombs. An infection by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) can lead to cervical cancer. So never hesitate from testing for STDs.

Kind of tests: For most STDs, diagnosis includes a physical examination and blood, urine and/or cell testing. Blood tests will be advised for syphilis and HIV. The VDRL test measures the antibodies produced by the microorganism that cause syphilis. The HIV antibody blood test detects HIV antibodies in the blood.

Hepatitis B testing
Most carriers of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) appear healthy and symptom free. However, some of them can develop chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer years later. What’s worse, they can still spread the virus to close contacts through blood, semen, and other body fluids]. During pregnancy the virus can be transmitted to the child also.

Kind of tests: Get the Hepatitis Surface Antigen (HbSAg) test done. This blood test is the earliest indicator of acute infection and can identify infected people before the symptoms appear. An anti-hepatitis B core antigen (Anti-HBC) test can help detect chronic HBV carriers.

Hepatitis C testing

You may contact Hepatitis C virus through infected blood, semen or other body fluids. Most infected persons carry the infection for a lifetime and might spread the virus for many years. Some of them can develop cirrhosis or liver cancer, sometimes as late as two decades after the HCV infection. Spouses of patients with HCV infection also have an increased risk of developing HCV infection.

Kind of tests: Anti-Hepatitis C Virus (Anti-HCV) test is done to determine if you have been exposed to the Hepatitis C virus. The HCV RNA test may be done after treatment to check if the virus has been removed completely from the body.