There are occasions when a paternity test needs to be conducted and the assumed father is not available for testing due to a variety of reasons such as death, imprisonment, refusal to provide a specimen or other circumstances. Death of the assumed father is really the only instance where a DNA sample may not be available as a court order could remedy most other types of instances. In such cases when the assumed father is not available to collect a DNA specimen or a specimen is not available, there are a few other types of DNA tests that can be conducted to determine paternity of a child.

Grandparentage Tests

The best option when the father is not available for testing is to have DNA specimens collected from the mother and father of the assumed father – that is both of the child’s biological, paternal grandparents. If only one paternal grandparent is available, then the mother of the child should provide a specimen as well to provide more accurate results. Testing of the grandparents to determine paternity is a relationship based test commonly referred to as a grandparentage test.

Avuncular Tests

When the paternal grandparents are not available for testing, the next option would be to collect a DNA specimen from a paternal uncle or aunt of the child along with the mother of the child. Specifically, this a biological brother or sister of the assumed father. Siblings share about 50% of their DNA with each other which means an uncle or aunt would share about 25% of their DNA with the child.   Using an accredited laboratory for avuncular testing is of utmost importance to ensure accurate, reliable results.

Siblingship Tests

One final option to determine paternity is to conduct a siblingship test with a known biological child of the assumed father. This test will determine if two individuals share one or both parents. It will need to be noted if the assumed siblings share the same biological mother or not prior to testing being performed. If they share the same mother, the test would be considered a full-siblingship test, whereas if they do not share the same mother, the test is referred to as a half-sibingship test.

Carolina Testing performs all of the above tests in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area and serves the entire Grand Strand region including Horry, Georgetown, Marion, Florence and Dillon counties. With a network of collection site partners nationwide, we can facilitate DNA specimen collections locally, and nationally.  Form more information, please call or text 843-972-3287 or CLICK HERE

I’m pregnant?!?!?!

Now what? I sit here staring at the plus sign on the at-home pregnancy test. It’s the same result I got with the three other tests I did (just in case). A range of emotions are flooding my mind as I wrap my head around the reality that there is a baby growing inside me. I haven’t felt quite right for the past few weeks and this explains a whole lot. The father! I need to tell him about this too. When this sinks into my consciousness I feel what could possibly be my first wave of morning sickness rising to greet me. It’s not morning sickness though. It is pure emotional fear and confusion. There is a very real possibility the father could be one of two different men.

Until I know who the real father is, I can’t say anything. This is going to add a lot of stress to my life and to the baby – which is not healthy for either one of us. Once people learn that I am pregnant, they are going to assume the daddy is Jake. After all, Jake and I have been together for years – with the exception of that brief break up last month. That brief break up is exactly where the problem lies. I went out with the girls one night and met Mike at the club where we were dancing. I hadn’t seen Mike since High School when he moved away our Junior year. The drinks were flowing, the night was a blast and Mike and I did something we both agreed was a mistake the next morning. It happens sometimes – I get that, but this just got real! I need to make sure that I know who the real father is and I need to know now!

I know you can find out who the father is through a DNA Paternity Test. I have watched enough daytime talk shows to know this much, but that was after the baby is born. I need to know now! A brief Google search brought up three options available to do a DNA Paternity test before the baby is born.   The first two – CVS and Amniocentesis must be approved and should be performed by your OB/GYN due to the risk of miscarriage or other complications. The third option is referred to as a non-invasive prenatal paternity test.

CVS

The first option is through CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling) which consists of a thin needle being inserted into the vagina and into the cervix to collect tissue samples from the uterine wall. This type of test is typically performed during weeks 10-13.

AMNIOCENTESIS

This procedure is typically performed during the second trimester and uses a thin needle entering into your uterus through your abdomen. The needle then extracts a small amount of amniotic fluid.

NON-INVASIVE

This procedure is completely non-invasive to the baby and can be performed at any time during the pregnancy after 8 weeks. The process involves a simple blood draw from the mother’s arm and a buccal cheek swab from the possible father(s).

Well, I certainly was not ready to do anything that may possibly harm the baby, so the non-invasive paternity test was the solution. I called Carolina Testing and they walked me through the entire process and answered all of my questions.   They arranged for a phlebotomist to come to my home to do the blood draw and Mike went down to their office for his buccal cheek swab. I received the results and a huge sigh of relief in about 10 days. Jake was thrilled to learn that he was going to be a daddy – and we are filled with excitement and anticipation as we wait for the birth of Jake Jr.

WHAT IS DNA PATERNITY TESTING?

DNA paternity testing is an important genetic test that determines the biological father of a child. DNA is received from our biological parents — half from our mother and half from our father. A DNA paternity test compares the child’s DNA patterns with that of the alleged father to determine if there is a genetic match confirming or denying paternity.

Choosing a DNA paternity test where the results will be used as a legal document is an important choice.  You should make sure that the test being conducted is a Legal DNA Paternity Test.  A Legal DNA Paternity Test involves strict documentation and guidelines starting with the specimen collection, transporting the specimens to an accredited laboratory, and the testing process itself.  The specimens must be accounted for during every step of the process through legal chain of custody procedures in order to have the results accepted by the courts.

Some common reasons for Legal DNA Testing include:

• child support
• child custody
• birth certificate changes
• immigration
• will / estate proceedings
• court order
• adoption
• tax forms / dependents

HOW TO PREPARE FOR LEGAL DNA PATERNITY TESTING

At the very minimum, the alleged father and the child will need to have saliva specimens collected via cheek swab in order to complete a DNA paternity test.  The mother is encouraged to also provide a specimen to produce faster, more definitive results.  All parties do not have to be present for the specimen collections at the same time.  Specimen collections can be done locally and nationwide through a network of specimen collection sites in the event that the parties live in different areas of the country.  Adults should be prepared to bring government issued photo identification such as a driver’s license, passport, military ID or other state issued photo ID.  Children with no photo ID should have a birth certificate or social security card with the child’s name with them at the time of their specimen collection.

For more information about DNA Paternity Testing, please contact Carolina Testing.  www.carolinatesting.com

Call or Text: 843-972-3287  Email:  info@carolinatesting.com