Paternity Testing

With the advent of genetic testing came the possibility to conduct paternity tests. Advances in paternity testing now allow for private, non-intrusive and more convenient collection of samples. Whatever your reason, paternity testing is now as simple as obtaining cheek swabs from the privacy of your home. Paternity testing is a highly accurate and increasingly easy-to-use procedure.

The new methods of collection (saliva sampling and cheek swabs) also provide a cheaper alternative than was previously available. Genetic paternity testing is not covered by Medicaid or health insurance as it is not seen as a medically necessary procedure.

Reasons to Use DNA Paternity Testing

If there is any doubt at all as to identifying the true parent, DNA testing can resolve this issue. DNA testing can give peace of mind to all the individuals involved. A DNA test achieves 99% accuracy in establishing paternity.

Child custody or support

In order to establish custody arrangements, it may be necessary to confirm paternity in a court of law. This is especially practiced for children born out of wedlock. For fathers providing child support, paternity testing serves to reassure the father of the biological relationship. He can definitively know that he is providing financial support for his child.

Insurance or Inheritance Policies

Some insurance companies will ask for paternity tests to ensure that the benefiting child is indeed biologically related to the father.

Adoption

Adoption agencies ask for paternity tests in order to register parental information of the child.

Prenatal Testing

Depending on where you are in your pregnancy, you have two prenatal paternity test options available. Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) can be conducted at 10-12 weeks. The procedure involves collecting the chorionic villi that make up the placenta and gathering a sample from the father to see if there is a match. Amniocentesis will be conducted from 12-21 weeks of gestation by obtaining the amniotic fluid that surrounds the placenta.

These procedures are completed at hospital and the DNA samples are flown to a genetic testing lab that specializes in paternity testing.

Postnatal Testing

Samples must be taken from all parties involved: mother, father and child. In the past, blood samples were taken to determine blood types, but the evidence was inconclusive as even the most rare blood types are shared by at least 10% of the population. These days, more sophisticated DNA analysis is available, including blood, saliva, cheek swabs and other tissue samples. These methods have made paternity tests cheaper than the days when only blood sampling was available.