FAQs
About the DNA Paternity Test
How does a DNA paternity test work?
Is there an age requirement for the child?
What are your paternity testing options?
How do I know the tests are performed correctly?
Does the mother need to participate in a test?
How is the legal test different from the home test?
What is the difference between a buccal swab and blood?
How are samples collected?
Is it possible to test more than one child or alleged parent?
Do I need a court or doctor’s order to get a paternity test?
About the test results
How long does it take to receive the results?
How do I know what the report means?
What is the Combined Paternity Index?
Are the results legally admissible?
Are the results confidential?
What happens to my samples after the test?
About the DNA Paternity Test
How does a DNA paternity test work?
A DNA paternity test compares a child’s DNA profile with those of his/her mother and alleged father. We all inherit a unique combination of DNA from our biological parents. Half of our DNA comes from the mother and half from the father. Our DNA test looks at least 16 specific locations on the DNA to see if those locations have corresponding matches in the mother’s and father’s DNA. Scientists worldwide have examined and proved the usefulness of these loci in human identification.
Is there an age requirement for the child?
There are no age requirements; we can perform a paternity test as soon as the baby is born, and even beforehand through prenatal testing. DNA is set at conception and remains the same throughout a person’s lifetime.
What are your paternity testing options?
Worldwide Genetics offers in-home, legal, and prenatal paternity testing for patients in different situations. We also offer a viability test, which tests unusual samples from a missing or deceased alleged father, to see if the sample can be used in a paternity test.
How do I know the tests are performed correctly?
We exceed all industry standards set by the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB), the governing body for parentage testing. We can run 16 probes reach a conclusive probability of paternity (at least 99.99%). We automatically run all tests twice to ensure accuracy. Our lab also follows strict guidelines to ensure that the correct samples are tested together.
Does the mother need to participate in a test?
The mother’s participation is recommended to assist in the analysis, but it is not required. We can produce conclusive results even without testing the mother. If you are doing the test for legal purposes, however, we strongly recommend the mother’s participation, as many courts accept test results only if the mother participates.
How is the legal test different from the home test?
The only difference in these two types of tests is the collection process. In order for results to be used in court, the identity of the person giving the sample must be verified by an impartial third party. Usually, patients go to a trained professional to have their legal paternity test samples collected. This ensures a strict chain-of-custody. In a home test, kits are sent out to a given address, and samples are collected by the tested parties themselves. The laboratory process and accuracy after sample collection is the same.
What is the difference between a buccal swab and blood?
A buccal swab is like a larger, more durable Q-Tip. It is rubbed against the inside cheek to gather loose cheek cells. It has become the standard sample collection method for DNA testing because it is safe and painless. DNA is the same in all cells of the body; thus test results are the same regardless of whether the sample is from buccal swabs or blood.
How are samples collected?
The routine method for DNA sample collection is the buccal swab. For home paternity tests, we send you a DNA collection kit that contains complete instructions, envelopes containing cheek swabs for each person, and a postage-paid return envelope. Simply remove the swabs from the container and collect the samples. The swabs are then returned to the labeled envelopes and sealed. The envelopes are placed in the pre-paid return envelope and sent by mail back to our laboratory. For a legal paternity test, a similar procedure is performed by a trained professional.
Is it possible to test more that one child or alleged parent?
Yes. Testing all parties at the same time allows you to save on testing cost compared to having a later test done with the other parties.
Do I need a court or doctor’s order to get a paternity test?
No, you do not need such an order to have us perform a parentage test.
Note: The New York State Department of Health prohibits paternity testing without a full chain of custody. Worldwide Genetics cannot send an In-Home DNA Collection kit to any New York address.
About the test results
How long does it take to receive the results?
Results for DNA Paternity testing are ready in 3 business days from the receipt of samples. Shorter turnaround times (1 working day) can be arranged for an additional charge. We give results of in-home tests via phone, email, or first-class mail. For legal paternity testing, results are mailed to the location clients specify during the sample collection appointment. We do not give results over the phone for legal tests.
How do I know what the report means?
Once you receive your report by mail, you can call our service line, and one of our customer service representatives can walk you through the report details at no extra cost. You can also check the probability of paternity near the bottom of the page: 0% means he has been excluded as the biological father (he is not the father), and 99.99% and above means that he cannot be excluded as the biological father (he is the father).
What is the Combined Paternity Index?
You will find a Combined Paternity Index in your DNA test report stated near the Probability of paternity. After DNA genetic testing is performed, each tested location that matches the other tested party is assigned a frequency, and the combined frequencies from all the genetic matches leads to a "combined paternity index" (CPI), such as 2,346,242. This means that the chance of another random individual matching your DNA pattern is 1 in 2,346,242. We can then use that calculation to arrive at a probability of paternity of 99.999957% (in this example).
Are the results legally admissible?
Yes, we offer a Legal Paternity Test that uses the Chain of Custody process. This allows your results to be accepted by courts and other government agencies.
Are the results confidential?
Your results will be held in strictest confidence and released only to you. Furthermore, the information obtained from testing the DNA locations only provide information about identity, and do not reveal any additional information of medical relevance.
What happens to my samples after the test?
All materials are used up in the testing process. There are no remaining samples; you do not need to be concerned about something happening to them. With some other labs, testing requires signing a release allowing your samples to be used for 'other genetic testing'. We do not ask you to do this.
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