The question of a child’s paternity can raise many emotional and legal questions. Before a man can be held legally responsible for a child, paternity must be proven. In the past, getting a paternity test was a long, drawn out process. Today, adults can easily determine paternity by using home paternity tests.

How Do Home Paternity Tests Work?

When a person orders a home paternity test, the laboratory will send a kit with which to collect samples. Home paternity tests can be performed using the father and child’s DNA, or the father, mother, and child’s DNA. To collect DNA, the participating parties will rub a cotton swap over the inside of their cheek. These swabs will then be sealed and sent to a laboratory for testing.

Once the laboratory receives the DNA samples, they will test the father’s DNA against the child’s DNA. As long as paternity tests are performed by a reputable laboratory, they are 99% accurate. If the father’s DNA is tested against the mother’s and the child’s, the test will be 99.9% accurate.

Most home tests will be completed in a number of days. As long as the samples are promptly sent to the lab, results will usually be ready in less than a week. If a mother is unsure of who her child’s father is, it is possible to send in several sets of DNA.

Can Home Paternity Tests Be Performed Before a Child is Born?

Paternity tests can be performed before a child is born. However, instead of collecting a sample by swabbing the inside of the child’s mouth, an OB/GYN must perform a Chorionic Villi Sampling or amniotic fluid test. Once the sample is collected, it must be sent to a laboratory to be tested against the presumed father’s DNA. While this process is a bit more involved for the mother, many at-home paternity testing laboratories are more than capable of performing this type of test.