I need to have blood taken and this is painful

The days of blood DNA tests are somewhat over and are though still sometimes used, it is rather rare. However, since we are talking about blood, one has to clarify that the process is not painful in itself, but it is invasive, it involves a needle penetrating the skin, bruising which can look unsightly and psychological mini-traumas especially in children. Advances in DNA technology means that today there is the harmless and painless buccal swab. A cotton bud like utensil that is rubbed on the inner cheeks and send to be analyzed in the correct laboratories. Paternity DNA tests cannot be easier with the use of oral swabs and are equally accurate as a blood DNA test.

It is not possible to do DNA testing on an unborn child

Though this is possible it is a rather thorny issue. The procedure is invasive and involves taking cell samples from inside the mother’s womb. Cells are normally gather form either the placenta, the organ which gives the child food and oxygen, or from loose fetal cells. Any samples gathered have to be analyzed very quickly as samples cannot be kept for long. The procedure has a small risk factor- the child can be harmed. Though the risk is small, it is there. Some DNA testing companies have offered this service in the past but chose to do away with it for the above reasons and moreover, for reasons of ethicality. Parents might choose to abort the child should the results not favor their expectations. One should be heavily critical of companies offering pre-natal DNA testing using techniques which are non-invasive as these are not scientifically or medically grounded.

What about confidentiality?

These tests are as confidential as you want them to be. When you buy a home DNA kit you are responsible for taking the samples and returning them to be processed in laboratories. When results are returned determined paternity, they are returned specifically to the address the buyer stipulated. After that, what the buyer of the kit does with the results is up to them. Companies providing DNA testing services guarantee total confidentiality as they understand how delicate and stressful a matter this can be. However, when doing a legal paternity test, one must bear in mind that these will have to appear in court and handed through perhaps, various legal entities. The issue of confidentiality is diminished in such cases.

The lengthy wait for results must be nerve-wrecking

Once the samples of the swabs with the DNA are sent back, it is only a matter of days till they are returned with the results. Of course, there are issues of postage involved but usually the differences here are negligible. Once the swabs are returned with the DNA samples, the results can be expected within 5 to 7 days. Receiving the kit in the first place is another issue. The time here depends on the efficiency of postal services which vary from country to country, whether one opts for courier mail, any strikes there might be.

If there is not father then there can be no paternity DNA test

In the case of an absent, deceased or unwilling father, other members of the alleged father’s family can be tested using what is known as avuncular DNA testing, a substitute test for the standard DNA paternity test. The genetic profiles of the aunt, uncle or grandparent can be used and compared with that of the alleged father’s child. If both the father’s parents are tested, it is possible to re-create the alleged father’s genetic profile and this taken for comparison with the child’s DNA.

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