DNA Paternity Testing – All That You Need to Know

Paternity Testing-DNA Testing

Legal DNA Testing

DNA paternity testing refers to the clinical testing procedure of the DNA samples of a man and a child, taken from their bodily fluid or tissue, in order to determine whether that particular man is the biological father of the child or not.

DNA Paternity Testing – The concept

The DNA in a human being is known as the unique genetic fingerprint which is present in each and every cell in that human’s body. Every person has a genetic code of 46 chromosomes which is a combined mix of 2 sets of 23 chromosomes each passed on by his / her biological parents. In simple words, when a baby is conceived, each parent passes on half of their genes, i.e. 23 chromosomes to the baby. Hence collecting a DNA sample from the baby and the alleged father and testing them thereof can either prove or disprove the biological fatherhood of that person in relation to that particular child.

DNA Paternity Testing – The Process

Since DNA is present in almost all our body cells, a small DNA sample can be got from several places. The most common sources are the blood or the buccal cells found inside the cheek of an individual.

A cotton swab is gently rubbed on the inside cheek of the mouth of a person to collect the necessary amount of buccal cells for DNA testing. This swab is then sent to the laboratory where a specific number of DNA sequences are tested to identify whether the sample DNA collected from the baby matches with those of the alleged father or not. Considered to be the most accurate relation testing mechanism in the world today, DNA paternity testing tells you with 99.9% accuracy whether any paternal relation exists between the two DNA samples tested.

DNA Paternity Testing – The Pre-Natal Process

Ancestry dna test or when the baby is still inside the mother’s womb calls for two different testing processes depending on the timing of pregnancy.

If the pregnancy is between 10 – 12 weeks, the DNA paternity testing process ‘chorionic villus sampling’ (CVS) is done where the child’s DNA sequence is ascertained by testing tissues from the placenta.

In case of 15 – 22 weeks of pregnancy, the DNA Paternity Testing process of ‘amniocentesis’ is performed where the child’s DNA sample is withdrawn by passing a needle through the mother’s abdomen for collecting amniotic fluid which also contains cells from the baby’s body.

It must be remembered that the chances of miscarriage are 1 in 100 and 1 in 200 for CVS and amniocentesis processes respectively. These days, it is possible to perform DNA testing of the child by taking blood sample of the pregnant woman. This test does not pose any risk to the child.

DNA Paternity Testing – Home Kits

There exists many laboratories who provide Home Testing kits for DNA Paternity Tests where instructions and tools to conduct a cheek cell swab test by oneself is provided. The collected sample needs to be sent to a laboratory for testing. However, it must be noted that for legal matters when the results need to be permissible in the court, home kits would not suffice.

DNA Paternity Testing Costs

It is always better to contact your nearest facility to get the exact quotation. However, for a Home Testing Kit, the cost is approximately around $100 while to get a proper Legal dna test done form an accredited facility, $500 would be required for the complete process. Hence, for cheap DNA paternity test home testing kit would be more preferable.

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