Paternity DNA tests are done for many reasons. It could be to show proof in a law court to decide child custody or for personal reasons like to determine who the father of the child is. But aside from the uses and advantages of the test, the doubts of whether the paternity DNA tests are safe for your child or not are still common since not many people know about the procedure of the test, how it is done and its after-effects on the mother and child.
Well before answering that question we need to understand that the safety of the test depends on whether you choose to get a non-invasive paternity test or an invasive one.
Because in non-invasive prenatal paternity test the test is done based on a blood sample taken from the mother’s bloodstream and father’s cheek swab. Then these samples are used to determine the parenthood of the father with the unborn child.
In invasive paternity tests, tests like Chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis are used. An amniocentesis sample is obtained by drawing amniotic fluid from a pregnant woman’s abdomen and that fluid sample is used for a paternity test. In CVS a small piece of tissue is taken through the cervix and used as a sample for the paternity test.
Although Non-invasive prenatal paternity DNA test is safe, invasive testing like CVS and amniocentesis include various risk factors to them like miscarriage, infection, RH sensitization, leakage of amniotic fluid, etc.
A prenatal paternity test can answer many of your questions but you must choose wisely and get some guidance regarding the test from your doctor.