Private DNA Test

12 Aug 2017

You can carry out a private DNA test to conclusively tell you whether you are or are not the biological father of the child. This is the main advantage of contemporary DNA testing methods- the privacy and anonymity you get and moreover, the convenience of taking or receiving a kit at home and being responsible to take your own samples.

Private DNA Testing: is it different to a legal DNA test?

Private home DNA test results are highly accurate and reliable. Nothing changes between the DNA paternity test you do at home and the one you do for legal purposes in terms of laboratory analysis. What does change is that with a private DNA test you take your own samples. You will be send a DNA paternity test kit which is anonymous- in other words, no one could tell that inside the package you receive there is a kit. Taking samples is very easy to do and generally, if you follow instructions you will not make mistakes. However, if you do try to cheat or happen to contaminate your sample, then the test will be cancelled. With a legal DNA test it does not happen- this is because you will need someone else (a professional such as a doctor or nurse) to take your DNA samples.

With private DNA tests you can send different samples

The normal DNA sample and the one that is encouraged most is the oral swab. An oral swab can be rubbed in the mouth to collect saliva and cells found lining the mouth and sent for testing. But, with a private DNA paternity test you can send a range of samples. This is because sometimes it is not possible to send an oral swab because people are not always available for the test. They may be far away or deceased. The range of samples that can be sent can be, for example:

• A used Kleenex
• Nail clippings
• Razors
• Blood stains

Different samples are not equally good so to speak. Some samples are better than others because they allow higher chances of successful DNA extraction from them. Other samples are not particularly good. They offer a low chance of lab DNA extraction (for example a licked envelope). You will be discouraged from using these samples unless you have no other sample available for your DNA test.

Which every samples you use for your private DNA test, once the DNA is extracted, the test will be completed offering the same probability of paternity for an exclusion or an inclusion. Private DNA testing is in line with the anonymity needed for such tests and life style of this day and age.