Do it Yourself Paternity Testing

Take home paternity tests are now available to most right inside their regular drugstores. What use to have to be done outside of the home can now be done primarily from the comfort of your own home.

After a few phone calls to RiteAid and some friends I found that these tests typically consist of some type of cotton ball or swab used to “swab” the inside of the child alleged or suspected father(s) and mothers’ cheek to obtain their DNA. It is then packaged and shipped off to a lab where the actual paternity determination test is conducted. Once the test has been completed you are either contacted or can obtain the results of these tests (for some companies) right online.

In the drugstore you can plan to spend somewhere in the range of $30 on this type of test. That may seem cheap, and it is, but make sure to read the fine print before you go mailing this in, there is on average, a $120 fee for laboratory services tacked on for this procedure. DNA tests that include more then one possible father do cost more however so make sure you know what to expect so as to not end up with a surprise. Now, this is still cheaper then most court ordered or other out of home DNA tests which can average around $300 to $500 depending where you are so for many it may be less of a shock to the pocket book.

Available information as far as the accuracy of these take home paternity tests is that they claim to have the same level of accuracy of a test that was not performed at home. However, these tests as of yet have not been monitored by the FDA so it may be something to look into further in the future.

So now that the what and how they work is out of the way the next thing to look at is what the potential pro’s and cons are of using an at home paternity test.

One of the potential pro’s of this type of take home paternity test is the obvious fact that there is no face to face with some medical or trained professional that leaves you feeling judged and/or self conscious. Another being timing, without having to set up an appointment outside of home it is at your convenience that you can take and administer this test so no having to take off work or pull your child from school or daycare.

Potential cons of take home paternity tests would be the thoughts and doubts such as the following “who is actually conducting this testing?, Did I mess up? Could I have messed up? And how accurate is this test really?.”

Overall this comes down to what works best for you, your needs and your lifestyle. Before opting to try this take home paternity test be sure to read any supplied instructions and accompanying information so that you are completely informed.