People who decide to take a paternity test generally want to clarify their family relationships. The reasons for such a test can vary. Below you will find information about various methods for conducting a paternity test. Further information on the topic of “paternity tests.”
- Blood-type test: This test determines the blood types of the mother, the child, and the presumed father. The known laws of inheritance definitively rule out a number of possible combinations of results.
- Serological assessment, in which additional blood components (HLA antigens and other proteins) are included in the analysis.
- Anthropological and genetic assessments, in which the probability of paternity is determined based on heritable physical characteristics (e.g., skin, eye, and hair color; head shape; iris structure).
- DNA analysis—this method is the most advanced and reliable way to determine paternity.
Generally, such a test is conducted when there is suspicion of a so-called “cuckoo child” or when there are multiple potential biological fathers of a child, and it provides irrefutable facts. Questions regarding the biological father can also be of great importance from both a legal and an emotional perspective.
Which method is best for a paternity test?
In blood-type testing, the blood types of the presumed father, the mother, and the child are determined, and the test checks whether a child born to the father and mother could have the same blood type as the child. This procedure cannot confirm paternity; it can only rule it out.
DNA analysis makes use of the laws of inheritance. In the human diploid chromosome set, one half of each chromosome must come from the mother and the other half from the father. If characteristics appear in the child’s chromosomal DNA strands that the parents do not have, paternity can be ruled out.
Assessing a person’s anthropological and genetic differences is the oldest and most readily available method. This involves a plausibility check in which information about parents and their offspring is compared with known rules of inheritance and statistics.
No paternity test can provide 100% certainty as to whether a man is the father of a child. The various methods still have their limitations, but they are more accurate than they were a few years ago. This is due to the increasing number of paternity tests conducted each year. According to scientists, the results are reliable. The most reliable method for determining paternity is likely DNA analysis.
How much does a paternity test cost?
For many potential fathers, the question of the cost of such a test is, of course, also very important. The price range varies significantly. There are inexpensive tests that cost in the double-digit range. But prices of several hundred euros are also possible. It also depends on the laboratory performing the test. Anyone interested in a paternity test should take the time to review the various options.
Tip: More information on the topic of “paternity tests" is available in the online magazine schwangerschaft.at.
