As per Hindu traditions, matching Kundli is one of the parameters people consider before accepting a marriage proposal. However, besides religious customs, it is also crucial to ensure the health of one’s partner. Being aware of the health conditions of the prospective spouse is extremely important.

To mitigate the risk of transmitting diseases to each other and their future children, many couples opt for premarital tests that assess genetic, infectious, and transmissible diseases.

Dr Silky Jain, a senior consultant at the Paediatric Haemato-Oncology and BMT department of Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh, Delhi, strongly recommends premarital testing. She emphasises the significance of checking Thalassemia status among partners.

Dr Jain explains that Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that reduces the body’s ability to carry oxygen, leading to fatigue and anaemia. Symptoms of Thalassemia may include fatigue, weakness, pale or yellowish skin, facial bone deformities, slow growth, abdominal swelling, or dark urine.

Using an example, Dr Jain highlights the importance of both partners undergoing testing if one partner is identified as a Thalassemia gene carrier through a blood test. The chances of the child having Thalassemia Major can be determined based on the results.

If the other partner does not carry the gene, the child has a zero percent chance of being diagnosed with the disease. However, if both partners are carriers of the gene, there is a 25 percent chance that the child may have Thalassemia Major.

Dr Jain further reveals that approximately 10,000 children are born in India each year with Thalassemia Major. Children diagnosed with Thalassemia Major require monthly blood transfusions.