Genetic-Dating: the new age of romance
While the majority of the societies accept dating prior to marriage, arranged marriages are still practised by Easterners and there is sufficient evidence that many Asian countries including have an inclination towards “arranged marriages”, where the family members do the matchmaking by selecting partners for their child by considering certain factors including horoscope compatibility, social status, ethnicity and caste etc.
However, westerners have a slightly different approach to romance and with the emergence of online-dating platforms, traditional dating has been transformed into a whole new level. Many people rely on “dating checklist” as the key to finding an agreeable partner. According to Psychology Today, “kindness, reliability, and emotional stability” are considered to be significant factors when choosing a life partner.
Certain new discoveries in science have shed light on the underlying problems which can occur later in your marriage life if you check your dating checklist without reviewing some important microscopic details known as genes. Therefore, your genetic map is the most vital factor that needs to be checked when choosing a partner for life.
Thanks to the emergence of human genomics, several private companies started to provide personalised health insights to customers. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute, direct to customer (DTC), the genetic testing service industry had a value of nearly $100 million in 2017.
Carrier testing is one such genetic screening test which is aimed at identifying reproductive risk by detecting if a healthy person is a carrier of autosomal recessive diseases, which are inherited conditions due to genetic mutations such as Sickle Cell Anaemia, Tay-Sachs Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, that could be passed down to the next generation.
Individuals who are carriers of these inherited diseases are healthy, therefore, their genetic mutations cannot be identified by routine tests. If one of the parents is a carrier, the chance of a child with the disease is lower, but there is a 25% chance of a child having an inherited disorder if both parents are recognised as carriers.
Truly speaking, DTC genetic testing provides a glimpse of your health in future and allows you to prepare for it. By choosing a partner who is most compatible with your genes will reduce the risk of genetic risks and improve your family’s health and well-being.
I believe that in future more people will check “carrier screening” as a compulsory item in their dating checklist, to have an advanced knowledge that can make a difference not only in their health but also in their children's health as well.
