Every child has just one biological father. But sometimes you need a paternity test to identify the real father. And certain legal situations involving custody and child support require PROOF of fatherhood.
Later in life, an adult may become curious about his biological roots and need to verify his birth father. That’s what happened to me. And that’s how I got interested in DNA testing.
Conventional Paternity Testing
Follow the underlined links to learn more about the genetics of fatherhood. Start with paternity test DNA to review the basic information.
Many labs can do the standard test. Some are better than others. For some specific tips on choosing a lab see my page on DNA Testing Labs.
One leading lab that I can recommend without hesitation is this one:
EasyDNA is an accredited lab that offers a Home Paternity Test at a reasonable price. It’s also fast. You can get results in 3-5 working days. Click the link to learn more.
TIP: If your paternity issue involves child support or custody issues, you need to order their LEGAL paternity test that is court admissible. If this knowledge is just for personal information, the home test kit is sufficient.
A High Tech Alternative
One of the DNA tests used by adoptees to uncover unknown parents has turned out to be a useful option for finding and confirming a child’s biological father.
This test, called Family Finder, is great insurance against a negative result. That’s because it provides important clues to the child’s ancestry even if the tested man proves not to be the father.
To learn why this option is so popular follow this link.
More Options
You can confirm the father’s identity before the baby is born with prenatal testing.
If the child’s father is deceased–or just unwilling to be tested–you can sometimes acquire his DNA through forensic DNA testing.
DNA and The Law
DNA testing has had a huge impact on child custody laws. In addition, women can use DNA testing to gain child support from deadbeat dads. And men can use it to protect themselves against paternity fraud.
Blood Types
In some cases you can eliminate a potential father through a comparison of blood types. If you know all the blood types and get lucky, this might avoid the need for DNA testing.
For some other ways to determine a child’s real father, see this guest article on Who’s the Real Daddy?