HCM City (VNA) - Many youngVietnamese couples seem to deliberately avoid pre-marital health screenings forfear that these will find health problems and ruin their budding marriages, asurvey found.

Dr Bui Duy Luat from the Department ofKidney Surgery and Transplant under People Hospital 115, said he and hiscolleagues were quite surprised to learn that of 400 young couples surveyed,only 2 percent were willing to undergo premarital health tests for genetic andinfectious diseases.

The survey is not a comprehensivestatistical research given its small scale and the fact that it was conductedduring a talk on reproductive health held at the hospital, but the results arequite alarming, he said.

According to the survey, 85 percent of theparticipants said they had never even heard of premarital health examinations,while 10 percent said they had but don’t know what these entail.

Luat attributed the lack of awareness ofsuch testing to the fact that authorities have not explained their importanceto young people. Some were concerned about the price of such tests, he added.

Another reason could be embarrassment.According to a report released three years ago by the Maternal and Child HealthDepartment, a third of Vietnamese below 18 thought using a condom was"inappropriate" behaviour, and 16 percent said condoms were forprostitutes and adulterers only. That attitude might also pertain to the issueof premarital health examinations.

But Luat also revealed that during thetalk, 70 percent said youngsters are worried that the diseases discovered wouldruin their marriage plans. A partner who brings up the issue of check-ups willlikely be misunderstood as lacking trust in the other, undermining therelationship.

According to Dr Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan from theDepartment of Gynecology at HCM City Medical University, couples who are fullyin the know about each other’s health before tying the knot will be moreprepared, psychologically and physically, for long-term plans.

For example, couples with detectedreproductive health issues will be able to take measures to increase theirchances of pregnancy.

Furthermore, even if one or both partnersare found to have certain conditions, these can be remedied. For example, ifsemen analysis shows some abnormalities, it does not necessarily mean he iscompletely infertile. “Most conditions are amenable to early diagnosis andtreatment,” Lan said.

Luat added that if health problems weredetected, experts would be readily available at medical centres to providecounseling and treatment.

According to Luat, husbands and wives-to-beregistering for premarital checkups will be provided with diagnoses, treatmentsand preventive measures for a range of conditions.

Conditions related to potential infertilityare part of the testing for bride and groom, and disease common to both sexesare also tested, such as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), tuberculosis,hepatitis type B and type C. Risks of rubella, tetanus, chickenpox, blooddisease and birth defects, among others, for the babies born to these coupleswill also be assessed and appropriate solutions are put forward.

Ho Ky Thu Nguyet of Tu Du Hospital said theideal time to get checkups is three to six months prior to marriage – “enoughtime for the treatment of average conditions.”-VNA