When and How to Get a DNA Paternity Test
Nearly 300,000 paternity tests are conducted each year to determine parent relationships with young children. These tests may also be performed later in life to help grown children find their birth parents in the event that they had been adopted or even have questions about their familial background.
If you are unsure who the father of your child is, you should consider having a paternity test done to get some answers. Continue reading to learn everything that you need to know about getting a DNA paternity test done.
When Should You Get a Paternity Test?
It’s possible to have prenatal paternity testing done via testing the mother’s blood and comparing it to a blood sample of the potential father as early as the seventh week of pregnancy.
After the child is born, there are two different types of tests for paternity available through ReliaLabTest. The difference is between the two tests is whether you are seeking answers and gathering evidence that will hold up in court.
It is important to get paternity DNA testing done as soon as questions arise.
Informational DNA Paternity Test
When you are merely seeking some peace of mind, an informational DNA test can help you to get some answers. The Home DNA Test Kit gets sent to your home and the samples are then collected and sent to the lab. Once we receive and test the samples, you should have the results emailed to you within a few business days.
They are, however, inadmissible in court and will not hold up in legal cases because the chain-of-custody cannot be proven. Anyone can take the sample and it can remain completely anonymous. They can also be done from the comfort of your home.
Legal DNA Test
This type of DNA test comes into play when the results are necessary for the legal process. The legal DNA test requires that the procedure’s performed at an approved collection facility. It can’t be a kit that gets sent to your home as this ensures that the chain-of-custody remains intact.
Having a legal DNA test performed to prove paternity can help in custody battles, visitation rights, medical benefits, birth certificate changes, and even adoption cases.
As long as everything goes well, you will still have your results a few days after the testing is complete.
How Can You Get a DNA Paternity Test?
After the birth of a child, a simple cheek swab from the mother, father, and child is all that you need to provide DNA for the test. You can get the testing done at an approved facility or from the comfort of your own home depending on your situation. The sooner you get a DNA Paternity Test done, the sooner you will have to answers that you are looking for.
Contact ReliaLabTest today with any questions that you might have about the process and ordering a DNA test from our facility.
