DNA Maternity Test

DNA maternity testing is the use of DNA profiles to determine whether an individual is the biological parent of another individual. Maternity testing can be especially important when the rights and duties of the father are in issue and a child's maternity is in doubt. Tests can also determine the likelihood of someone being a biological grandparent. Though genetic testing is the most reliable standard, older methods also exist, including ABO blood group typing, analysis of various other proteins and enzymes, or using human leukocyte antigen antigens. The current techniques for maternity testing are using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Maternity testing can now also be performed while the woman is still pregnant from a blood draw.

The DNA test is performed by collecting buccal (cheek) cells found on the inside of a person's cheek using a buccal or cheek swab. These swabs have wooden or plastic stick handles with a cotton on synthetic tip. The collector rubs the inside of a person's cheek to collect as many buccal cells as possible, which are then sent to a laboratory for testing. Samples from the alleged father or mother and the child would be needed.

DNA testing is currently the most advanced and accurate technology to determine parentage. In a DNA maternity test, the result (called the 'probability of parentage) is 0% when the alleged parent is not biologically related to the child, and the probability of parentage is typically 99.99% when the alleged parent is biologically related to the child. However, while almost all individuals have a single and distinct set of genes, rare individuals, known as "chimeras", have at least two different sets of genes, which can result in a false negative result if their reproductive tissue has a different genetic make-up from the tissue sampled for the test.

DNAMaternity | 150 GBP