An alleged father or mother do not have to sit and wonder whether or not a child is really his or hers. There are actually a few different options that parents can choose from to reveal a child’s paternity. Some parents might choose to do this in order to affect things like child custody or child support. When being used in a custody or child support case, there may be certain laws regarding DNA collection. Before having any testing done, parents should make sure they understand how the results of the test can be used or if they will hold up in a court case. Three common types of paternity testing are home kits, laboratories, and a prenatal paternity test.
Home DNA Test Kits
A home test kit is simple and easy to use. All it takes is finding a reliable company that can ship the kit to you. If you know you want a laboratory to process the DNA samples, you will need to pay the lab fee. Some companies will initially send you a free kit thats private and confidential. Should you choose to use it, you pay the lab fee later. Many home testing kits can still provide reliable results. You collect the samples yourself, often by just swabbing the cheek of the people in question, then mail the kit to the lab for testing. Once the test results are in, the lab mails them back to you.
Laboratories
In some cases, paternity testing is offered by pharmacies while others might need to be carried out by a professional technician. This means that the people involved need to go to a clinic or laboratory where a technician will take a DNA sample. There may be a few different ways that the sample can be collected. A swab is often used to brush against the cheek in many cases, even with home kits. Blood can also be drawn or hair collected for the sample as well. In some states, alleged parents may be required to have paternity testing completed through an approved clinic or laboratory.
Prenatal Paternal DNA Testing
A prenatal paternity test can also be done in some cases. For the most part, if a prenatal test is necessary, it usually involves a sample of amniotic fluid and placenta tissue. This is considered an invasive procedure, and can pose a certain amount of risk to the unborn child and mother. Non-invasive options might also be available where the blood of the pregnant mother is analyzed. When needed, this prenatal test can verify the paternity of a child before birth.
According to Genetic Testing Laboratories, there are a few different options available to find out the paternity of a child. Home kits, laboratories, and a prenatal paternity test are three common options. To get the most accurate results from any test, both the man and woman involved should also provide samples for testing. When both alleged parents provide samples, it can help to more clearly identify certain genetic markers. In turn, this can increase the accuracy of the test results. Remember that most paternity tests look only at the paternity of a child, and are not necessarily tests for other medical conditions. Before choosing any type of paternity testing, take time to understand the risks involved, as well as the accuracy of the analysis. It should hopefully lead to a more satisfied understanding of the results.
