Premarital Preventive Examinations and Access to Genetic Counselling in the South-Central Region of Bulgaria: Implications for Preconception and Child Health.

Background

Premarital medical certification is required before civil marriage in Bulgaria, but little is known about how newly married couples perceive this process within the broader framework of preconception care and genetic counselling. This study examined couples' perceptions of premarital preventive examinations, reported receipt of genetic counselling, preferred counselling providers, and associated sociodemographic factors.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between 2023 and 2025 among a convenience sample of 623 newly married heterosexual couples residing in the South-Central Region of Bulgaria. Each couple jointly completed a study-specific questionnaire assessing perceptions of premarital medical examinations, sources of preconception information, preferred counselling providers, and reported receipt of genetic counselling. Two multivariable binary logistic regression models were fitted to examine factors independently associated with reported receipt of genetic counselling and affirmative support for the necessity of premarital medical examination.

Results

Overall, 77.8% of couples considered the premarital medical examination necessary, whereas 57.1% perceived it as primarily formal and 38.5% reported having received genetic counselling. Family (90.6%) and school (63.8%) were identified as responsible sources of preconception information more often than general practitioners (19.6%). In the adjusted model, each additional year of female age was associated with lower odds of reported genetic counselling receipt (aOR = 0.929, 95% CI: 0.900-0.959, p < 0.001). Bulgarian ethnicity was also associated with lower odds of reported counselling receipt compared with non-Bulgarian ethnicity (aOR = 0.499, 95% CI: 0.291-0.856, p = 0.012). Female age (aOR = 1.043, 95% CI: 1.006-1.081, p = 0.021) and employment (aOR = 1.847, 95% CI: 1.109-3.076, p = 0.018) were associated with affirmative support for the necessity of premarital medical examination.

Conclusions

The findings describe perceptions and reported experiences within a regional online convenience sample and should not be interpreted as causal evidence or as a direct assessment of healthcare-system performance. They indicate areas warranting further evaluation, including the organisation of genetic counselling, the role of primary care, and equitable access to comprehensive preconception services.