The Best Paternity Testing Is A Comprehensive Package

Although this branch of DNA testing has been around for years and is one of the most familiar tests to determine the biological relationship between a man and a child, paternity testing has refined itself over time so that it now includes several aspects that are important to, among other things, the outcome of child support cases.

And one of the offshoots that has gained favor is prenatal paternity testing. As the name implies, this is the version of paternity testing that is performed during pregnancy and like the more traditional version, this paternity testing while pregnant procedure compares the man’s DNA with that of the child.

Marked Differences

There are of course some marked differences between the paternity testing before birth procedure and the more standard paternity testing that occurs after the child is born. Prenatal paternity testing involves either one of two different procedures that are implemented under the guidance of an OB-GYN. As well, these procedures are used at different stages of the woman’s pregnancy but both are as accurate as the more traditional methods.

Chorionic Villi Sampling

This is version of paternity testing while pregnant that is carried out from the 10th to the 13th week. This method collects a sample from the placenta which is the membrane that surrounds the developing fetus and here the doctor uses a catheter that is guided through the vagina. If the doctor determines that the position of the fetus warrants it, a long hollow needle can be inserted through the abdomen.

Amniocentesis

Paternity testing before birth can also be carried out by amniocentesis. As is often the case where court ordered paternity testing is necessary, this procedure is carried out in the 16th through the 24th week. This is also an invasive procedure unlike the more familiar versions of paternity testing, and the results here can also be used to help in the resolution of child support cases. Here the samples are collected in the form of loose fetal cells that float in the amniotic fluid that surrounds the developing baby. Once again a long needle is used to go through the abdomen here.

Traditional Tests

Of course the more traditional versions of paternity testing are not invasive and these are generally the more familiar type of this DNA testing. Here there are two divisions here in the at home procedure that cannot be used legally and the court ordered paternity testing that follows all the paternity testing laws so that the results are legally admissible .

Most of the samples are collected using the Buccal Swab which is like a regular cotton swab that is pressed against the inside of the cheek.  Depending on the paternity testing laws and purpose that the client wants to use the results for, the samples can be collected at home and then processed in an accredited laboratory.