Paternity Test – The Things You Should Know Before Having One

The women who had more sexual partners might want to have a paternity test to be certain of who the father is.

This may be important for emotional and financial support and this way women will have some peace of mind. Naturally later they will be able to tell the child who their father is.

Information about testing for paternity

When addressing to an accredited laboratory you can expect the test to cost between $400 and $2,000 depending on your geographical location and the kind of testing you would like to have. It is best to get the test done at an accredited laboratory and in this case you will have the results in 2 business days.

Kinds of paternity tests

You have the possibility to have postnatal testing, meaning after the baby is born.

In this case, there are three different options: blood collection and test, buccal swab collection and test and umbilical cord collection and test. None of the test is dangerous for the well-being of the baby.

There is also the option of prenatal testing, meaning even before the baby is born. As a possibility of paternity test, there is the amniocentesis procedure.

This is done during the second trimester between weeks 14 and 20. The procedure is done with the help of a thin needle guided by ultrasound through the abdomen.

For the testing for paternity there is need for a small amount of amniotic fluid and this is collected through the needle. There are some risks of the procedure, such as harming the baby and causing a miscarriage. Women could experience cramping, vaginal bleeding and loss of amniotic fluid.

Chorionic villus sampling is another possibility that you have as one of the paternity tests. Similar to the previous case, the doctor guides a thin needle or tube through the vagina and cervix all the way to the uterus to get chorionic villi. This is a tissue piece that is attached to the wall of the uterus.

Since both the fetus and the chorionic villi come from the same egg, they have the same genetic makeup In case of this paternity test, the testing can be done at an earlier stage, during the 10^th-13^th week. To be able to perform the test there is need for the consent of your doctor. This is because the testing specialist has to be certain that you don’t have a high risk pregnancy.

How soon can you get testing for paternity?

As it has been mentioned before, a test can be performed at a relatively early stage, starting with the 10^th week. The moment of the test depends on the kind of test that you opt for. This is something that you have to discuss with your doctor so ask for his or her opinion.

Test results and confidentiality

In the majority of the cases when it comes to paternity tests, the laboratories keep the results confidential.

Nonetheless the best thing you could do is to ask the specialist you would like to work with regarding the policy that the laboratory in question has.

Risks of the paternity test

Once the baby is born, there are no known risks involved. In case of prenatal testing, there is always some risk, just as in case of other kinds of tests. This is why the doctors don’t really support these tests. The biggest problem is that the patients have higher risks of having a miscarriage.

Date of conception

When thinking about testing for paternity there are some women who are interested in the exact date of the conception and the sad news is that this isn’t that easy to determine. This is why the doctors assume that women have their periods about the same time each month and they ovulate regularly.

The date of conception is important for the paternity tests and the bad news is that in reality the time of ovulation varies from one month to the other. Another thing to consider is that sperm can survive in the body 3-5 days after intercourse and so the date of conception is difficult to be figured out.

When it comes to testing for paternity, the gestational age may have a role to play and this is determined based on the first day of the last menstruation period and also on the ultrasound measurements. Nonetheless these tools can only estimate the gestational age.

Costs of the paternity test

As it has been mentioned before, the price varies between $400 and $2,000. Usually the prenatal tests are more expensive because the doctor and hospital fees are higher. There are some less expensive paternity tests that aren’t approved by the court. The hospitals also offer payment plans, but you have to pay the entire sum before you get the results.

There is a lot to know about the paternity tests so if you plan to have one make sure you have your basis covered.