When people ask how soon you can do a DNA Paternity Test, usually they are asking about Prenatal Paternity Testing. Prenatal paternity testing is a paternity test that is done before the baby is born.

The short answer is that they can be done any time after the 10-12th  week of pregnancy.

Prenatal paternity tests are often conducted using samples obtained from Amnio (amniocentesis) or CVS (chorionic villus sampling)tests. If you are having these tests done for other reasons, let your doctor know that you are interested in paternity testing, and it’s likely that the same samples could be used for both tests.

That being said, these tests DO carry risks, both to mother and baby, and most doctors will not perform them solely for paternity testing. For this reason we suggest that DNA paternity testing be done after the baby is born. DNA samples can be collected easily and painlessly from a swab of the babies mouth minutes after being born. And with Identigene’s 2-3 business day turn around (once samples are received) you get your results quick.

Another benefit to DNA testing after the baby is born is cost. Prenatal Paternity Testing will have a fee for the collection of the prenatal DNA sample. Performed in a hospital or doctors office, this can be very expensive, and may not be covered by medical insurance. DNA paternity testing on prenatal samples is also more expensive, costing $400 or more for the lab fee only. A “peace of mind” DNA Paternity Test from Identigene will only cost you $150 total.

For more information on Prenatal Paternity Testing, talk to your doctor, or visit: http://www.dnatesting.com/dna-testing/prenatal-paternity-test.php

This process does required an invasive procedure performed by the mother’s OB/Gyn.  The mother in this case must be at least ten weeks along.  Between the tenth and twelfth weeks the procedure that must be performed is called a CVS (Chorionic villus sampling).  After the twelfth week and before the twenty-first week an Amniocentisis would be required to collect the sample for testing.   Because both of these procedures can pose significant risk in a pregnancy IDENTIGENE does not recommend these procedures when Paternity is the only question.  I would recommend consulting with your doctor or genetic counselor for more advice about these procedures and their potential risks.

After the sample for the child is collected to complete the DNA Testing a sample for the alleged father and mother must be collected with our cheek swabs.  This type of DNA Paternity test will generally take two to four weeks to complete once we have received your samples.  You can find more information about this type of DNA testing on our website at: http://www.dnatesting.com/dna-paternity-testing/prenatal-paternity-test.php.

While this DNA Test is not used as frequently as others it can be invaluable in resolving the questions that may be keeping you or a loved one up at night.   Next time, I will write more about the most common test we perform.  The DNA Paternity Test for peace of mind.  In the mean time if you have any questions or have ideas about DNA Testing topics you would like to hear more about send me an email at: kstyer@identigene.com