Info about Paternity Testing
Types of paternity testing
Paternity testing speaks a lot of the advancement of science in the field of health and medicine. Since the time a need for paternity testing was felt, various methods to do the same have been found. Paternity testing can be broadly classified into two types namely, non- invasive and invasive types. In order to know the father of the baby to be born, it is necessary to have different methods to test the same. This further can be divided into paternity testing before birth and paternity testing during birth.
The non-invasive paternity testing before birth includes blood sample from the mother and tissue sample from the mouth of the father. Through the use of current technology, it is very much possible to know about the father of the child using these samples and comparing the DNA material in each. This is done before the baby is born.
The invasive type of the same includes amniocentesis. The foetus or the baby to be born when in the womb of the mother is floating in a nutritious fluid called amnion. This fluid carries genetic information from the father as well as the mother. A special needle is used to extract this fluid from the mother’s womb. Special care is taken to see that the foetus is not hurt in anyway. This procedure is done under radiography support. Thus, a sure shot indicator of who the father is can be done by the genetic analysis of this fluid. This is also done before the baby is born. Although this is an accurate method to know the paternity, it has its risks to the life of the foetus as well as the mother – no matter how much care is taken.
Another type of invasive testing done early during gestation is chorionic villi sampling. The port of entry is through the cervix of the mother and sample of foetal embryonic tissue is taken for the analysis. This too is a clear indicator of the paternity because the chorion will have genetic material to analyze the paternity of the foetus. The risks to the foetus and the mother are higher than amniocentesis and thus should be carefully undertaken.
After the baby is born, the material that is used to know the paternity of the foetus is the umbilical cord. A blood sample taken from this cord is enough to tell you whether the father is the one who claims to be the father of the child. This is again a non-invasive type of paternity testing, thus it is safer. However, it can be done only after the baby is born, hence if you are in need of an early test, then it might have to be one of the above mentioned ones.
Thus, there are many types of paternity tests that can be done. It all depends on how fast you want the results and at what stage of pregnancy. The earlier the tests are done during pregnancy. Especially the invasive ones, the more risk for the foetus and the mother. Hence weigh the pros and the cons before making a decision.