Reasons for Paternity Testing

Chances are if you've had more than on partner, you might have questions about who the father of your baby may be. Whether for financial support or emotional reasons, or even just to have some sense of closure, paternity testing is there to help you answer some of the bigger questions that effect your life and that of your child.

Usually paternity testing is handled by an accredited laboratory and can cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars based on where you live and the type of testing you are interested in. Paternity tests can be performed by a non-accredited facility and probably cheaper because they do not have to meet the stringent testing environment and careful handling techniques that insure sample integrity and accuracy in reporting. Frequently, these labs do not qualify for legal, court, or immigration standards as well as being subject to inaccuracies and mishandling of samples and data.

For more information about Paternity Testing, call us at 1-888-404-GENE

For this reason, we highly recommend that you choose a facility that has AABB‡ accreditation. Another useful specification is LAB (ISO-17025) compliance - a specification that must meet the highest standards for lab cleanliness, work quality, consumer privacy, competency, and accuracy of results. Identigene and DNATesting.com meet or exceed these specs, and even if you don't decide to get your testing done with us, please make sure you find a DNA testing lab that carries these qualifications.

The Importance of Establishing Fatherhood.

In order to protect the rights of you and your child, determining true paternity will help to maintain the integrity of your legal and financial issues regarding parenting that you will inevitably face. Establishing a biological relationship between parent and child is significant because:

Inheritance Benefits Depend on Biological Parentage

• Social security and Veteran's benefits are based on parental information.
• Maintain a basis for health care tracking - assisting in diagnosis and prevention of diseases and ailments that show a genetic trend.
  

The Power of Knowing and the 'Acknowledgment of Paternity'

Where the question of fatherhood of your child is not known, it is recommended to do a paternity test as soon as feasibly possible. In fact, it is a requirement in most states in the U.S. to complete an 'AOP' or Acknowledgment of Paternity form at the hospital to document paternity. If the mother is not married, and hasn't been for 300 days, no father will be listed on the birth certificate if the AOP is not filed. If the AOP is completed, it is given to the Bureau of Vital statistics for that state and the listed father becomes the official father by law.

Based on state law, which vary, once a couple has signed the AOP, they have a limited time to amend or alter the form. If changes are not made before the time limit, the father originally indicated on the AOP could become the legal guardian regardless of whether he is biologically related to the child.

No Father = Lack of Protected Benefits for the Child

A baby's rights are not protected during the time there is no father indicated on the AOP form - so there is some urgency needed to set the records straight and to retain the benefits mentioned previously.

Current Methods of Paternity Testing

• Prenatal or before the birth of your child
  
  
  • CVS or Chorionic Villus Sampling
    Guided by ultrasound instrumentation, a tube is inserted through the cervix to gather chorionic villi, which are flaps of tissue attached to the uterine wall. Originating from the same egg as the fetus, the chorionic villi have the same genetic structure so DNA testing in this fashion works well. Basically, procedure can produce results for as early in the term as 10 to 13 weeks, however, one needs the consent of a physician to go this route.
    
    
  • Amniocentesis
    For this method, the doctor performs this operation by guiding a thin needle into the mother's uterus through the uterus. Guided by ultrasound, the doctor acquires a sample of the mother's amniotic fluid, which becomes the sampling medium. This procedure usually takes place later in the term, between roughly the 14 and 20th weeks of pregnancy. There are slight risks involved, such as potential for harming the baby and miscarriage, side effects such as vaginal bleeding, leaking of amniotic fluid, and cramping. Similarly to Chorionic Villus Sampling, this procedure would require a doctor's prior consent.
• Postnatal or after the birth of your child
  
  
  • Sampling via cheek swab or "buccal swabbing"
    
    
  • Sampling via blood specimen
    
    
  • Sampling via umbilical cord
    
    
  • Sampling via tissue specimen
    
    
  • Sampling via hair or nail

If you have questions or concerns about indicating the correct father on the AOP, please call Identigene at 1-888-404-GENE(4363) or visit our DNA Testing forum.

Paternity Testing - Common Questions and Answers

I want to start the DNA testing right away - when can I begin the process? Using the CVS procedure, testing can begin in the tenth week of pregnancy (first trimester.)

Is there a risk associated with DNA Paternity Testing? Postnatal testing poses no risk to the baby or the mother. Prenatal DNA paternity testing has some potential risk associated with it as it is similar to a light surgical procedure and opens the door to complications such as infection and increased chance of miscarriage. It is for this reason that prenatal paternity tests are discouraged in favor of post-birth paternity testing.

What are the costs involved in DNA testing? Prices can range from the low hundreds to a few thousand dollars - depending on the method used. Non-court approved 'peace of mind' paternity testing is usually the cheapest, as sample collection guidelines aren't as stringently enforced. Prenatal paternity testing is generally more expensive due to hospital care costs and doctor's fees. Postnatal paternity testing via DNAtesting.com's paternity testing is fairly inexpensive and more convenient - ranging from $149.00 for home-based paternity tests to $399.00 for legal or court approved DNA testing and offer the benefit of being both LAB (ISO-17025) and AABB certified. Almost all paternity testing providers will send you your DNA paternity test results after full payment has been made.

Can the results of my paternity test be used in court? Basically, there are two types of DNA paternity testing, legal or court-admissible and the more casual, 'peace of mind' versions. As indicated before, non-legal paternity testing tends to be cheaper because it does not have to follow the same rules of sample collection as a home paternity tests. If you aren't sure if the results of your paternity test will be needed in court, it is probably in your best interest to pay the extra cost to obtain court-admissible paternity testresults.

I'm interested in paternity testing. Where do I go from here? Basically, find an AABB accredited lab either online or by phone and compare the features of each provider. We're very sure you won't find a better paternity testing facility than Identigene, but we urge you to make sure they meet accreditation guidelines to protect yourself wherever you decide to go.

Please visit our DNA testing FAQ area for even more information regarding DNA paternity tests, or visit our DNA testing blog.

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‡Formerly referred to as the American Association of Blood Banks

 

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paternity test questions?

• » How do I use the test kit?
• » Where do I send my swabs?
• » Why include the mother?
• » What if the father isn't available?
• » When will my results be ready?
• » More paternity testing questions...

paternity test links

• » Genetipedia: a resource for understanding paternity testing
• » Legal paternity test? Personal paternity test? Selecting a paternity test
• » Paternity testing forum
• » FREE Eye Color Paternity Test (online)
• » FREE Blood Type Paternity Test (online)
• » Contact Us

contact us

IDENTIGENE DNA Testing Center
2495 South West Temple,
Salt Lake City, UT 84115

1-888-404-GENE (1-888-404-4363)
9 am to 8 pm ET

Direct: (801) 462-1401
Fax: (801) 462-1403