Are you pregnant and wondering about you child’s paternity. Establishing the paternity of your child is important  for the following reasons.

  • protecting the child’s future
  • provides accurate medical history of the child during diagnosis and managing of the child’s health
  • strengthens the bond between the father and child

 
paternity testing
 

Types of paternity testing

 
Postnatal testing : This is paternity testing done after the baby is bone. This can be done through   an umbilical cord collection  at the time of delivery . It can also be done through a cheek swab or blood collection after the baby is released from the hospital.

 

There are several options for prenatal testing done during pregnancy. These include :
 
Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity (NIPP):  This is the most accurate way to find out the paterninty of the child before he is born. This test uses the latest technology of preserving and analyzing the baby’s DNA found naturally in the mother’s bloodstream.  It uses a blood  sample from the mother and the alleged father to be. This paternity testing can be done anytime after 8 weeks of pregnancy. According to the American Pregnancy Association, this test is 99% accurate.

 

Amniocentesis : This test is usually done  in the second trimester around pregnancy week 14 to pregnancy week 20. An ultrasound  is used to guide a thin needle through uterus into the abdomen. A small amount of the amniotic fluid is drawn out with the needle and tested in the lab. You need a doctor’s consent to do this procedure .

 

Chorionic villus sampling CVS : A doctor inserts a tube through the vagina  through the cervix to collect chorionic villus tissues using the ultrasound as a guide. This test can be  done around pregnancy week 10 to 13. A doctor consent is needed for this procedure.

 

Are the any risk ?

 
Paternity testing done after the baby is born poses no risk. Paternity testing using procedure such as amniocentesis and CVS carry a  risk of miscarriage. However the non-invasive SNP microarray procedure poses little risk to mom or the baby.

 

NOTE
 
DNA paternity testing can be done as early as pregnancy week 9 for SNP microarray procedure and pregnancy week 10 for CVS. The results of this test are completely confidential. Paterinity testing are expensive ranging from $400 to $2000.  Parternity test done during pregnancy is more costly done after the baby is born.
 
Content Sources

Paternity testing . American Pregnancy Association. http://americanpregnancy.org/prenatal-testing/paternity-testing/. Accessed January 5, 2015
 
DNA paternity testing. Cleveland Clinic. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/hic-DNA-paternity-test. Accessed January 2, 2015
 
Can you get paternity before the baby is born. Livestrong.com . Can You Get a Paternity Test Before a Baby Is Born?. Accessed January 2, 2015
 

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