A paternity test is a relatively new scientific development which allows the biological father of a child to be correctly identified. With this technology available, there is no reason to leave the question of paternity unanswered. A great deal of emotional trauma and even legal problems are easily avoidable due to the paternity test.
Benefits of Determining Paternity
Identifying the father of a child with a paternity test is beneficial to both the father and mother. It allows the father an opportunity to know for certain whether a child is his, and allows him to petition a court for rights to visit the child. It also allows the mother to request that the court require the father to offer financial support for the child.
How Does Paternity Testing Work
Every human cell contains DNA. This DNA is used during a paternity test to determine if a particular person is the parent of the child in question or not. Each person has a unique set of DNA that is directly linked to the DNA of their parents. When the DNA of the child, mother and presumed father are all compared, paternity is determined when enough pieces match.
When can Paternity Testing be Done
A paternity test can be accurately performed either during pregnancy or after the birth of a child. Pre-natal paternity tests involve retrieving a sample of DNA from the unborn child or from the placenta. This method does involve a small degree of risk. A paternity test can be more easily performed after the birth. This test involves taking a small tissue sample by swabbing the inside of the cheek with a cotton swab. Testing can also be carried out through the use of blood or other tissue samples. Once all required samples have been collected, they are sent to a lab for comparison.
At-home paternity test kits are available for purchase and use in the privacy of the home. These test kits utilize the cheek swab method of sample collection. The samples are then sent to the lab and results are usually available in as little as three days.
It's genetic testing to determine what percentage likelihood a man is the biological father of a given child.
Certain clinics may provide free paternity tests, however you would need to go to the individual clinic to see if they offer that service. Most hospitals and companies will offer paternity tests, though at a cost.
Yes. It's very common to have all sorts of strange dreams when you are pregnant due to hormones.
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"Can you have a paternity test while you are pregnant?"
It is not good to lie about your child's paternity because the possibility may come up when he/she may need bone marrow or blood transfusion. Plus your child should know about the other part of his/her family tree.
Paternity testing is most commonly done at diagnostic centers that draw blood. The most popular accredited laboratories in the US include Quest and LabCorp. According to The American Pregnancy Association, these tests can cost anywhere from $400 to $2,000.
It's safest to have it done after the baby is born. When you are pregnant, an amniocentesis has to be done and there is a possibility of miscarriage. It's not worth the risk, better to wait until the baby is born.
Never. You`re the baby daddy!
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"Can you have a paternity test while you are pregnant?"
Yes, but there is a chance that it may harm the baby. Yes, you can order a prenatal DNA paternity test.
This is to test the internal strength of the hair (the cortex). Hair that has been damaged due to chemical treatments may have lost much of its natural strength. This type of hair may stretch over two-thirds of its original length and may even break off. It is important to carry out this test before perming. Hair that is in good condition will stretch and then return to its original length.
Take one strand of hair and hold each end firmly between the thumb and forefinger of each hand and gently pull. If the hair stretches more than half of its original length then it is over elastic and may snap or break during chemical processing.
Paternity testing can be done online. Your home DNA test kit would be sent to you. The alleged father and child can send the samples to a lab and have results in five to seven days. A standard test will cost less than $200 dollars while a legally binding test will cost less than $400 dollars.
In some cases, paternity can be ruled out based upon blood types. If you are a blood type B- and the mother is blood type B+, a baby with type A or type AB blood cannot be yours - the father has to be someone with type A blood. Also, if the baby shows definite racial characteristics, such as the eye folds typical of individuals of Asian descent or deep skin tone typical of individuals of African descent, and neither you nor the mother have these characteristics, the father has to be someone else.
However, these are pretty vague generalities - to definitively prove (to a court's satisfaction) that you are or are not the father, you will need a paternity test. It is a painless test - you simply swab the inside of your cheek and the mother and baby have the same thing done. DNA fingerprinting is performed on all three samples, and the odds of you plus the mother generating the baby's DNA fingerprint are calculated.