What is DNA testing for?

Nowadays, it is possible to have a DNA test performed for various purposes. Sometimes you want to do this yourself, but in some cases you are ordered to do so by the courts. With a pregnancy, it is sometimes not entirely certain who the father is. This is of course annoying for both the mother and the father and can cause many problems. By means of a DNA paternity test, this can be answered. It is a paternity test and with this test a parentage relationship between child and father can be proven. How does it work, and what is it exactly? In this article, we will go into this in detail, so you can learn more about it.

What is a DNA paternity test?

A DNA paternity test is a DNA test that can prove whether someone is the biological father of a child. This can be done during pregnancy, or after the baby is born. The test gives more clarity if you are not sure who the exact father of the child is. Even if the father denies that the baby is his, this test can be decisive. You can do this test at the doctor’s office, but nowadays, you can also do it at home. This test can easily be ordered on the internet and comes with clear instructions for use. It works a bit like a home gender test.

How does it work exactly?

For the test, you need DNA from the father and of course from the baby. For this, you need to scrape a cotton swab along the inside of your cheek. You send this to the laboratory and in this way the lab technician can examine your DNA. Of course, this must also be done with the baby’s DNA. The DNA of the father and of the baby are compared. This way you can see if you are related to each other and also show in how many points the DNA matches. Based on this information, you can see if you are the biological father or not.

A paternity test after the birth of the child is a lot cheaper than a prenatal DNA test. A paternity test after childbirth costs between 150 and 300 euros, while the other variant costs about 1250 euros. So here is a big difference, and these costs are also not covered by the insurance company.