- The at-home test is a simple-to-use kit that can either be purchased online and shipped directly to your home, or can be found in some drug stores. The test is generally a swab that ideally is run inside the cheek of the mother, child and alleged father. All three swabs are carefully packaged and shipped back to the company. Results come through in a matter of days. Most of these tests are not legally binding so, if legal matters are pending, it is recommended to ask if the test will stand up in court. These simple and relatively inexpensive tests can provide peace of mind for a family who is unsure of a child's paternity or settle nonlegal family disputes.
- If you require a legally binding test, a clinical on-site test is the best, and sometimes only, option. Companies like the DNA Diagnostics Center offer testing at locations all around the country. This is especially convenient in situations when potential parents are separated by many miles and are unable to come together at the same location for a test. Your family physician can also recommend a testing center nearby if you are unable to locate one through a service such as this. If the test is being done as a matter of establishing financial support, the family court system can also recommend a center.
- It is also possible to do paternity testing before the baby is born, although this does involve a bit of risk to the baby. The baby's DNA is found in the amniotic fluid and placenta, and can be extracted during processes called amniocentesis and chronic villus sampling (CVS). Amniocentesis is an out-patient clinical test that involves a long needle being fed from the mother's belly into the amniotic sack. CVS extracts a piece of the placenta with a catheter through the mother's cervix. There is always some risk associated with either of these procedures. It is only recommended to have a doctor perform these types of tests if knowing the DNA is important for predicting genetic disorders that the baby could be predisposed to, given a certain paternity. Prenatal tests that claim to determine paternity through the mother's blood sample are not legally binding and have little scientific evidence to back them up. The mother and baby have different blood, so little can be discovered about the baby through the mother's blood.
