Under certain circumstances it becomes necessary to do pre-paternity testing to determine the father of the child. These tests are available, but are not available as home testing kits. Pre-paternity testing has to be carried out by a trained physician.
While it may be necessary for the mother to want or need to know the identity of the father of the child, the life and health of the unborn fetus is of utmost importance to the doctor. The procedures that are available for pre-paternity testing are sometimes slightly invasive when taking some of the DNA in order to determine the identity of the father. Although the test is not harmful to the baby in most cases, it does involve the fetus being disturbed, and there are certain factors that need to be considered.
When considering pre-paternity testing, it is very important that the doctor examine the mother to see how far she is into the pregnancy in order to determine what type of re-natal paternity testing can be carried out. The doctor will also check the health of both the baby and the mother, to determine whether complications are a possibility or not. If the doctor has any doubts whatsoever, he/she will recommend that the pre-paternity testing be carried out after the birth of the baby.
There are two extraction methods that the doctor can carry out in order to obtain the DNA necessary for the test. The first method is CVS, or chorionic villi sampling, that can be performed during the tenth and thirteenth weeks of pregnancy. A sample of the placenta can be obtained either through the vagina or the abdominal area. This will give conclusive identity of the father, as the material that makes up the placenta has exactly the same DNA as the original egg cell.
Between the fourteenth and twenty-fourth weeks of pregnancy, an amniocentesis test can be carried out. A needle is inserted into the amniotic sac and a small amount of the fluid extracted. As this test is done directly into where the fetus is developing, there are risks involved, although complications from this test are very rare.
Although both methods pose a risk for the mother and the baby, both are safe in most cases. There is always concern that the needle may injure the baby during the amniocentesis test, but because doctors are now well trained in this method, the risks are a lot less than when the procedure was first introduced. Bleeding and cramping could also occur with both of these methods, however, staying in contact with the doctor will ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Due to the invasiveness of both procedures, and laboratory fees involved with extracting the DNA from the samples, pre-paternity testing is expensive. If an amniocentesis test is done to determine the health of the baby, there are some insurance companies that will cover this test, although not for paternity testing.