Results and Reporting for DNA Paternity Tests

Waiting for a DNA paternity test report seems like an eternity

Given that the answer to the question of “who is your child’s father?” is at the heart of your current quest, the time it takes for the tissue samples to travel to the laboratory of your choice, be profiled and reported upon, and couriered back to you will likely feel like an eternity. DNA paternity testing and reporting for most laboratories has a turnaround time of a few days to a few weeks. The time it takes to conduct the testing and complete the report depends on the laboratory and the type of test you choose.

Generally speaking, in-home DNA paternity testing can be a few days faster, but an in-home test is not legally binding. Third party laboratory tests (done for legal purposes) can take several days longer to process. Some labs will offer preliminary results over the telephone using a password and file number that you receive when providing the tissue samples.

If the reporting time is important to you, be sure to check with the BBB (Better Business Bureau) to see if any complaints concerning speed have been registered against the laboratory, and ask if the lab has any type of guarantee for their reporting time.

The DNA report seems like a foreign language

Reading the actual report--the one you’ve now waited an eternity for--should be fairly simple. Many DNA paternity testing laboratories will have sample reports on their websites. Review some of the reports to make sure you can decipher the results. If you are not comfortable with reading the report, call the laboratory (most labs have a 1-800 number on their websites) and ask them to walk you through the sample report. If you still don’t understand their reporting techniques, consider choosing a different lab.

Recently, many labs have taken great strides in simplifying their reporting techniques. When you read the report you will get one of two possible answers:

· If the tested man is the biological father of the child, the report will be inclusive, with a 99.9% probability of paternity. In other words, the alleged father is not excluded as the biological father. Half of the child’s genetic DNA matches the DNA of the tested man. If the test was completed using the Chain of Custody, it can be used for legal support.

· If the tested man is not the biological father, the report will be exclusive with a 100% reporting accuracy. In other words, the alleged father has been 100% excluded as the biological father to the child. The child’s genetic makeup does not match that of the tested man and therefore another man is the biological father.