What can a paternity test tell you about the child’s parents?

Technology has allowed human race to access to unlimited knowledge. Every aspect of human life has been poked, prodded and explored is great detail. Some decades ago, who would have thought a common person like you or me could have undergone a paternity test? Who had even heard of DNA testing? Suddenly, you can find out in a very short time whether or not you are genuinely the parent of the child that looks like you. A paternity test applies the purest form of the technology for DNA testing to determine the parenthood of any individual.

A paternity test is conducted to verify the identity of the father of an individual, usually a child. This type of test is more commonly required, as opposed to a maternity test that identifies the mother of the child. This is simply because more often the paternity of a child is disputed, rather than the mother’s identity. DNA testing is the basis of any paternity test and the results can be conclusive so long as the testing is done under controlled conditions by a reliable lab.

Every individual has a unique DNA sequence which is the combination of the parent’s DNA. So, by analyzing and separating the strands of DNA, a paternity test technician can match the child’s DNA to each parent’s separately. The match has to be 99.99% accurate, that is, the odds are one in a million that the DNA testing results are no correct. It is generally safe to assume that they can be relied upon, as long s your provider is well selected. The comparison is done from samples collected from both the child and the disputed parent, in this case the father.

A paternity test can only be conducted when there is a sample available from the alleged father. DNA testing will then conclusively establish whether or not this person is the child’s true father. Samples are collected either by the lab or using home DNA test kits. The samples will need to be sent to the laboratory for testing in both cases. Further, it is important to note than often a mother’s sample will not be required for the paternity test. This implies that only the father’s identity will be determined by the test.

Additionally, if the alleged father is not found to be the true parent of the child, a paternity test will simply turn up negative. No further information will be sought about the genes of the alleged father, and thus, none will be revealed. A discreet and creditable lab should also guarantee complete privacy and the results would remain confidential. So, ultimately, DNA testing for the sake of establishing paternity will throw up no unnecessary data beyond the specific matching that it seeks to determine. As far as paternity is concerned, go to a AABB accredited lab that frequently tests its own proficiency and maintains all industry standards, and you should be able to get accurate and dependable results. The questions that then remain – are you ready to know and are you prepared with your response when you do know for sure?