Azerbaijani citizens will be asked to undergo genetic analysis before registering marriage.

Azerbaijani citizens wishing to start a family and give birth to children will now be checked by genetics specialists. The country has begun conducting genetic tests, by means of which by the presence or absence of inherited disorders will be detected.
Elkhan Rasulov, the expert geneticist of the Republican Diagnostic Center, Doctor of Biology, with extensive experience in medical genetics, claims that if the examinee is the carrier of a hereditary disease, it will be determined to what type of inheritance it belongs and the level of the risk of its occurrence in the future generation. On the basis of this finding, a possible form of preventing this disease will be studied, Trend quotes the expert geneticist as saying.

According to him, there are many cases of inherited blood diseases in Azerbaijan, and it is very good when those getting married, especially if they are relatives, pass genetic testing in advance.

"Based on the survey that I conducted among the students, it was reported that 18-19% of the surveyed parents are relatives. The majority of those who visit us are also relatives. They go through this examination as they are concerned about their children's future," the Doctor of Biology notes.

For the purpose of genetic testing of newborns, they undergo a blood test on the third day after  birth. This makes it possible to determine whether the child has congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria, galactosemia and other diseases, Rasulov adds.