Many new parents who have questions about paternity don’t want to wait till after the baby’s born to do at-home paternity testing. There are many reasons why it’s a good idea to do prenatal paternity testing, and the process is actually quite simple from beginning to end. Even though DNA testing of all types has become mainstream, there are still some myths remaining about prenatal paternity testing. Let’s debunk the five most common ones.
MYTH #1: It Puts the Mother and/or Pregnancy at Risk
Before DNA prenatal paternity testing became the go-to test for paternity testing while pregnant, it’s true that some choices for testing could put the baby at risk. Collecting the baby’s DNA via amniocentesis, for example, is invasive and poses a slight risk for miscarriage. The same risk is present when doing a CVS (Chorionic Villus Sampling). Most doctors will not perform either of these procedures for paternity answers alone, and the tests are extremely expensive.
A Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity Test presents absolutely no risk to either the mother or the unborn child.
MYTH #2: It’s Not Really Accurate
The test performed at DDC examines 2,688 SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) markers in the DNA to develop the data used to calculate whether or not the man being tested in the biological father of the fetus. If a man is the biological father, then probability of paternity percentages of 99% or higher can be expected. The technology has become so accurate that results of prenatal paternity testing from an accredited lab like DDC’s are accepted in a court of law.
Results are so accurate that a follow-up paternity test following the birth of the baby is not required.
MYTH #3: I Have to Wait Until Late in the Pregnancy to Test
With DNA prenatal paternity testing, free-floating fetal DNA from the mother’s plasma is analyzed and compared to the mother’s DNA profile. A woman used to have to wait until the 13th week of pregnancy to be tested, so that there was enough free-floating fetal DNA to establish the baby’s profile. Fortunately, that’s no longer true.
With today’s next-generation technology, this test can be performed as early as 8 weeks into the pregnancy.
MYTH #4: All Labs That Do This Testing are the Same
Absolutely not true! Although there are many low-cost labs out there who claim to provide accurate results, it’s wise to do some comparison-shopping. The DDC test is the only one on the market that has been validated and published. Check to make sure any lab you’re considering is fully accredited by AABB and other accrediting agencies. If that info isn’t on the company’s website, beware! The lab being accredited is only part of the equation. The court-admissible DDC prenatal paternity DNA test itself is the first and only one to be AABB-accredited. This means that only the DDC test maintains the AABB’s strict standards of accountability for prenatal DNA paternity testing, including analysis, PhD review, and documentation. That is a very big deal. Why trust such an important test to anyone else?
DDC analysis and testing processes set the gold standard in the industry for prenatal paternity testing.
MYTH #5: I Won’t Be Able to Afford It
When it comes to prenatal paternity testing, you really do get what you pay for. There are relatively “cheap” tests on the market, but they may be performed by labs that aren’t fully accredited or that include a “follow-up” post-paternity test to confirm results from the prenatal one. Prenatal testing does cost more than a postnatal test because of the more extensive analysis required to obtain conclusive results.
A quality lab offers payment plans to help make testing affordable.
Final Thoughts about a Prenatal Paternity Testing
Now that the most common myths have been debunked, hopefully your mind has been put at ease about the testing experience from beginning to end. Just be sure to choose a highly-accredited and respected paternity testing lab with years of experience and the best reputation in the industry. We understand this can be a difficult and stressful time, so our team of prenatal experts are caring, confidential, and knowledgeable. Feeling like your test is in good hands is priceless.
Call us at 800-929-0847: We’re here to help.
Do you have questions or comments about prenatal paternity testing? Share in the comments and we’ll answer.
Hi my testing came back as not excluded, so he is the father? Is there any reason I should have to test the other male? And has the prenatal non invasive ever been wrong
Hi, Juanita. “Not excluded” means the man is considered the biological father of the child tested with the stated probability of paternity. Unless the other man is a close biological relation of the man tested, there is no reason to test him also. We stand behind the results of our test.
Hi, I took a test when I was 9 weeks pregnant and I wanted to know how accurate are the results. I still worry about this…. the results came back 0.00% and I just want to make sure that my results are accurate
Hi, Tamika. I can’t speak for any other company, so I’ll assume you tested with DDC. The prenatal paternity test from DDC is AABB-accredited and you can be sure the results are accurate for the samples we were provided to test.
If I tested only one alleged father and the results came back cannot he excluded, is there any reason to test the other
Hi, Steph. Unless the other possible father is a close biological relative to the man who was tested, then no.
I got a prenatal paternity test done on the alleged father and it came back 99%. Once my son was born he wanted another test done. And it came back 0%. I’m confused as too how it changed and I got a false positive?
Hi, Makynna. A prenatal test is every bit as accurate as a postnatal test. Was the postnatal test a legal, witnessed test? If not, there’s a good chance that the father submitted someone else’s DNA as his own.
Hello
I had a noninvasive prenatal test at 8 weeks the result came back 0.00% for the alleged father tested but the gender was undetermined. Can I be sure that my results were accurate because there wasn’t enough fetal DNA to determine the gender of the baby. Can you explain a bit more why the gender was not determined.
Hi, Diana.The markers we run in NIPP are not gender identifying. If gender is requested, that chromosome is running separately and requires (as any DNA marker used in a comparison) sufficient data or information; if the data is weak or insufficient, then we are not able to detect the gender identifier and therefore, report on it. Of course, this does not mean the child does not have gender.
If I have a prenatal paternity test done at 7 weeks and there is not enough fetal DNA will I have to pay for another test?
Hi, Marly. Not if you test with DDC, no. If there doesn’t happen to be enough fetal DNA at 7 weeks, we have you do a recollection every 2 weeks until there is enough fetal DNA…all at no extra charge.
Does that mean that the farther along you get in pregnancy the more fetal DNA mom will have? Have sent 2 tests and still do not know.
Hi, Nancy. In most cases, yes. But there are some women who never have enough fetal DNA in their bloodstream, most commonly due to obesity. If it turns out there is not enough DNA after multiple attempts at testing, we provide a refund.
Hi,
I got a 99.9% back that my boyfriend is the father, which I wanted. I’ve read on websites women have had false positives. I am just worried the results are wrong. I apologies. What are my chances of it being the wrong result? The gender came back correct confirmed by ultrasound. I am a mess and don’t want to go through this pregnancy saying it his and break his heart if its not.
Hi, Kaley. The only way a “false positive” can occur is if the woman also slept with a very close relation of the man being tested (say, his brother or father), and didn’t let the lab know of this possibility prior to testing. If the lab is told that the other possible father is a close relation to the man being tested, analysts can take this info into account and test additional markers, if necessary. Hope this helps!
I know this probably not likely but what if it is his distant cousin? Would the test come back as a conclusion?
As distant cousins, they don’t share enough DNA to make any kind of difference. No worries!
Was your test right Kaley?
Hi , I was wondering . I recently got with my boyfriend , who had a paternity test done between him and his alleged baby . And it came back 0% shortly after I became pregnant , and had seen one other guy .. (biggest regret of my life) and we did a prenatal test between us , and received a 0.00% which I am relived . I only want to have my boyfriends baby , but why different result ? Is there a difference between the percentages ? And can my results really be accurate ? I am still so nervous I can’t shake it . I called your facility and asked the exact same questions but the person I talked to did not sound confident and made me uneasy.
Hi, Duck. I cannot locate your email address in our system, so if you had a case with us, I cannot locate it. I’m having a hard time understanding your situation. Are you saying you did two separate prenatal tests during the same pregnancy, one with each possible father? And both results were exclusions?
Does Natera analyze results for DDC my results state that parentage was determined by them.
Hi, Lauren. Great question! All testing is conducted at DDC, and we have a partnership with Natera to use their algorithm for calculating probability of paternity.
I recently did the non invasive prenatal paternity test through one of your partner companies who uses you for the lab. Since results are noterized can I trust them? I worry that I didn’t go directly through DDC but I called and it was confirmed they were a business partner. I got 0% so my worries are that the alleged fathers sample was only compared to my DNA and not the baby. Just worried due to false result reports on different websites from other woman. Thank you
Hi, Jill. Even if you did your DNA collection through a business partner, keep in mind your test and the analysis were performed here at our laboratory. You can trust the results.
Can you please reassure me that my results are accurate? Have you had any tests in the past where the NIPP results were not the same after the baby was born? I got my results and am pleased as they were in my favor. Also the gender was accurate with the ultrasound but I just need to please put my mind at peace because my future really depends on this test.
Hi, Mj. If you tested with us, you can be sure your results are accurate.
Also my report shows that my labs were done by Natera can I trust this??
Yes, Natera is our partner for non-invasive prenatal paternity testing.
Yes I’m sure and thank you
You’re welcome!