Your Paternity Test Result

14 Aug 2017

Knowing what to expect when you receive your paternity test result will help you. The result is scientifically explained and has a number of different parts to it; of course, the result is either an inclusion of paternity or perhaps an exclusion but this is a scientific analysis and it will not be expressed in simplistic terms such as ‘you are the father’ or ‘no you are not the father’.

Probability of Paternity

The first thing you eyes will drift towards is likely to be the probability of paternity. The probability is based on statistics and if the alleged father is the real father of the child then it will the result will show a 99.9% probability. If the alleged father is not the biological father of the child, the inclusion will be of 0% (which conversely means an exclusion of 100%). Read the following carefully:

For an inclusion report: the paternity test result will read ‘the alleged father cannot be excluded as the biological father’ (which means he is the father)

For an exclusion report: the paternity test result will read ‘the alleged father cannot be included as the biological father’ (which means he is not the father)

The Genetic Markers on Your DNA

To have a result which is an inclusion the alleged father will have to have the same genetic markers in common. Depending on the company, varying numbers of genetic markers are tested (genetic markers are displayed as numbers). If there are genetic markers which do not match, the result will be an exclusion of paternity. As a quality control measure they will also test the amelogenin sex gene which will verify the sex of the DNA samples. Thus, should there be any mix in samples, laboratories will detect this.  The sex-gene will be displayed not as a number but as a chromosome; XX for females and XY for males.

Combined Paternity Index

The Combined Paternity Index or CPI is an important aspect of your paternity testing result. The results of your test are based on a statistical probability. The statistical probability is done to establish the likelihood of a genetic marker has been passed on by the alleged father and not by another man in alleged father’s same ethnic group.  Since we all share common DNA, there could be, statistically speaking, another person with your exact DNA and although this has never really happened, one cannot exclude statistical possibilities. For each genetic marker tested scientists create a paternity index which they then combine through a multiplication sum to get the combined paternity index. These indexes will help them work out the probability of paternity.

Should you have any queries about your paternity test result, the DNA testing company you have chosen will gladly assist you in explaining and taking you through the necessary explanation.