Paternity Test Results: Explained with Examples

Understanding Home Paternity Test Results: A Step-by-Step Guide

Home paternity testing has become a popular, reliable, and convenient way to confirm biological relationships. With advancements in DNA technology, families can now obtain clear answers to life-changing questions from the comfort of their homes. At Validity Genetics, we specialize in providing accurate, confidential results to help you gain clarity and peace of mind.

If you’ve taken a home paternity test or are considering one, understanding the results is crucial. This guide will walk you through what paternity test results look like, how they are interpreted, and what they mean for you and your family.

How Does a Home Paternity Test Work?

A home paternity test analyzes DNA samples from the child, the alleged father, and sometimes the mother. These samples are collected using a painless cheek swab and are then sent to a laboratory for analysis. The lab compares specific DNA markers (short tandem repeats, or STRs) to determine whether the child and the alleged father share a biological relationship.

Reading Home Paternity Test Results

Your paternity test results will include two main components:

1. Statement of Results: This will either include or exclude the tested individual from being the father of the child.

   1. A positive result will read: The alleged father cannot be excluded.

   2. A negative result will read: The alleged father is excluded.

2. Combined Parentage Index (CPI): This is a numerical value representing the likelihood that the tested man is the biological father compared to a random man.

3. Probability of Paternity: Expressed as a percentage, this indicates how likely it is that the tested man is the biological father.

Example Results: Positive Paternity

Example Positive Paternity Test Result

In cases where the alleged father is the biological parent, the CPI value is typically very high, often exceeding 100,000, and the probability of paternity will be listed as 99.99% or higher. This is considered conclusive evidence of paternity.

Example Results: Negative Paternity

Example Negative Paternity Test Result

If the alleged father is not biologically related to the child, the CPI value will be 0, and the probability of paternity will be listed as 0%. This means there is no genetic match between the child and the alleged father.

Common Questions About Paternity Test Results

1. How Accurate Are the Results?
   Paternity tests from reputable laboratories, like those at Validity Genetics, are over 99.99% accurate.

2. Do I Need the Mother’s DNA?
   While mother’s DNA is not required, including her sample can increase the test’s accuracy by providing additional data for comparison.

3. What Do I Do If Results Are Inconclusive?
   In rare cases where results are inconclusive, additional participants or advanced testing may be needed. Contact Validity Genetics for further guidance.

Why Choose Validity Genetics for Home Paternity Testing?

At Validity Genetics, we prioritize accuracy, confidentiality, and customer support. Our tests use advanced technology to ensure reliable results, and our easy-to-read reports make understanding your results straightforward.

• Fast Turnaround: Get results quickly, often within a few business days after the lab receives your samples.

• Accurate Results: Our state-of-the-art technology ensures unmatched precision and reliability.

• Supportive Team: Our experts are here to help you at every step, from sample collection to interpreting your results.

Take the First Step

Whether you’re seeking clarity for personal reasons or legal matters, home paternity testing offers the answers you need. With Validity Genetics, you can trust that your results are accurate, private, and delivered with care.

Home Paternity DNA Test

from $149.00

Ready to learn more? Visit our example paternity test results page to see how results are presented or contact us to get started today.

Introducing Flexible Payment Options for DNA Testing Services

In today's fast-paced world, the need for clarity and certainty in personal relationships has never been more critical. Whether you're seeking answers through paternity DNA tests, relationship DNA tests, or infidelity DNA tests, we understand that these are deeply personal and often urgent matters. To support our clients better, we are thrilled to announce the addition of flexible payment options, including services like Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay.

The Importance of DNA Testing

DNA testing has revolutionized the way we understand and confirm relationships. From resolving paternity questions to uncovering genetic links between family members and investigating infidelity concerns, DNA tests provide definitive answers that can impact your life significantly. However, we recognize that the costs associated with these tests can be a barrier for some individuals.

Why Flexible Payment Options?

1. Accessibility: By partnering with leading payment service providers like Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay, we aim to make our DNA testing services more accessible to everyone. These services allow you to spread the cost of your test over several months, reducing the immediate financial burden.

2. Flexibility: Life can be unpredictable, and unexpected expenses can arise. Flexible payment options give you the freedom to manage your finances more effectively while still getting the critical answers you need without delay.

3. Peace of Mind: Financial stress should not add to the emotional strain of seeking DNA testing. With pay-over-time services, you can focus on what truly matters – obtaining the information and peace of mind you deserve.

How It Works

• Select Your Test: Choose the DNA test that suits your needs, whether it's paternity, relationship, or infidelity testing.

• Choose a Payment Plan: At checkout, select from available payment options like Klarna, Affirm, or Afterpay. Each provider offers various plans that allow you to spread payments over time.

• Complete Your Purchase: Follow the simple steps to complete your purchase. You'll receive your DNA testing kit promptly, and you can proceed with the test at your convenience.

• Receive Results: Once your sample is analyzed, you'll receive your results just as you would with any other payment method.

Benefits of Using Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay

• Klarna: Offers payment plans that let you split your purchase into four interest-free payments or spread the cost over several months.

• Affirm: Provides transparent financing with no hidden fees, allowing you to choose the payment schedule that works best for you.

• Afterpay: Lets you break down the cost into four interest-free payments, paid bi-weekly, making it easier to manage your budget.

Why Choose Us?

We are committed to providing accurate, confidential, and reliable DNA testing services. Our team of experts ensures that every test is handled with the utmost care and precision. By integrating flexible payment solutions, we hope to further demonstrate our dedication to serving our clients' needs comprehensively.

Easy Payment Options

Adding flexible payment options like Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay is just one of the ways we're working to improve our service and support our clients. We believe that everyone should have access to the crucial answers provided by DNA testing, regardless of their financial situation.

Thank you for trusting us with your DNA testing needs. If you have any questions about our new payment options or need assistance choosing the right test, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Paternity Test Myths

Finding out the identity of a baby’s father provides certainty, allowing the mother and child to move on with their lives. Moreover, getting a paternity test may be necessary for important legal reasons. Despite DNA paternity testing being around for many years, several aspects of testing are still widely misunderstood. In this article, we strive to separate fact from fiction. We hope the following paternity test facts eliminate any remaining doubts you might have about these tests.

1. “Paternity testing is expensive.”

Due to significant advances in technology, paternity tests can now be performed for $130 to $500. The cost depends on who performs it as well as whether the results need to be used for personal knowledge only or for legal purposes. Quality should never be sacrificed for price, especially in situations as sensitive as paternity testing. Nevertheless, efficient and accurate paternity testing should be affordable. Some companies, including Validity Genetics, can start the testing process as soon as they receive notice from the client.

2. “It doesn’t matter where a paternity test is performed because all labs are created equal.”

All labs aren’t created equal. You need to check the accreditation of any laboratory you’re considering.

DNA testing involves far more than technique and instrumentation. It requires the experience and expertise of qualified scientists, careful laboratory protocols, and client-service professionals who understand the unique needs of each client. Our lab partner has held AABB accreditation since 2015. It also hold accreditation and certifications from governing bodies such as AABB, A2LA, ISO 17025, ISO 9001, MoJ (UK), and ILAC.

3. “I can’t order a paternity test because the potential father lives hundreds of miles away from me.”

We can ship collection kits to multiple address across the country and internationally. Most of these options can be selected from out product page. Additionally, samples can also be collected at different times, places, and across collection sites.

4. “My ex-boyfriend is gone. Without him, I’ll never know who the father of my child is!”

In some situations, the possible father is unavailable or unwilling to partake in a paternity test. In these situations, a grandparent test can be performed. This test uses the paternal grandparents’ DNA to determine if the child is biologically related to them. If the child is determined to be a descendant of the grandparents and they have more than one son, all sons would be considered the potential father of the child.

5. “Paternity testing takes too long and I need results now.”

In most cases testing is done within 2-3 business days, but, it can be done in as quickly as one business day. It will cost more if you need the results quickly. In most cases, a few labs offer results in five days, on average. Validity Genetics has the capability to provide accurate results in 1-2 business days. If you’re using a private lab, you should receive prompt service and results. If you’re planning on going through a government child-support agency, it could take months for the processing and paperwork to go through, even though the actual testing may only take a few days.

6. “Paternity testing divides families.”

Paternity testing has many benefits. It’s used in adoption, immigration, genealogy, and other family-building cases. Testing benefits the child in cases in which paternity must be verified for inheritance or insurance purposes, as well as child-support and custody cases. Of course, you need to prepare yourself emotionally for the results, but finding out the truth enables you to make important decisions and move on with your life.

7. “If I get a test, people will find out about it.”

Each case is unique and is handled with the utmost confidentiality, privacy, and discretion. At a private laboratory like Validity Genetics your results are confidential. Keep in mind if you go through a child-support agency, your results may be public record. In addition selecting a privately-conducted test provides you with sole control of what to do with the results after you receive them.
We also ship all collection kits, returned samples, and correspondence, in nondescript anonymous packaging free of logos.
To see more info surrounding how we retain samples and results see our Privacy Policy.

8. “A cheap $99 test is the right choice for me.”

A $99 paternity test can be more expensive to the consumer in the long run. These tests are generally not as reliable because the testing may be done outside industry protocols and/or performed by inexperienced staff, which could lead to results that are interpreted incorrectly. If you’re inquiring about a paternity test for important matters experience in DNA testing is required. Wouldn’t it be better to pay only once for something so important? The accuracy Validity Genetics can provide for the definitive answers you need, is well worth it.

9. “I can’t stand the sight of blood or needles, so I could never participate in a paternity test!”

While a blood sample is one method of testing, most labs today, including Validity Genetics, use a painless buccal swab to collect samples for all DNA testing. The swab is similar to a cotton swab, much like a common q-tip. As mentioned above, this collection process is painless.

10. “Tests can’t be done through the mail due to contamination.”

While contamination isn’t a myth per se, is the common concern that samples might get contaminated. Validity Genetics and our highly-accredited laboratory takes this responsibility seriously and has established strict processes to ensure samples aren’t contaminated at the lab level. As a participant in the testing, it’s your responsibility to follow instructions and due diligence by sending us samples in the best condition possible. Please allow samples to air dry

We recognize that every situation is unique and so offer a variety of testing options and payment plans to fit your specific needs and circumstances. Still have questions or concerns? We encourage you to contact one of our paternity experts for a confidential chat via Facebook or send us an email at: Info@ValidityGenetics.com.

Relationship Testing: Do Siblings Have the Same DNA?

If you have siblings, you’ve probably experienced occasions when well-meaning folks said you look nothing like your sister or perhaps that you’re the spitting image of each other. And when you were born, relatives and friends felt the urge to say you looked just like your father or your mother! It is human nature for people to make these comparisons, but what does DNA have to do with it?

DNA contains information that determines eye color, hair color, height, and even the size of your nose. In fact, DNA contained in your cells is responsible for these physical attributes and many more. You and your siblings are a slightly different combination of your mother and father’s DNA. This explains why you and your sibling’s physical features resemble a combination of both parents and why your sister or even brother looks more like your mom than you do.

The Role Chromosomes Play

To fully understand how siblings inherit DNA from their parents, it helps to have a basic understanding of how X and Y chromosomes are passed down. Biological males have an X and a Y chromosome and biological females have two Xs. Fathers pass their X chromosome to daughters and Y chromosome to sons; this Y chromosome is passed down directly from father to son and can be traced back for generations of direct descendants. Mothers pass down a mix of their two X chromosomes in a process called recombination.

Sibling Similarities and Differences Tied to Genes

But it’s not as simple as X and Y chromosomes. Human DNA is packaged in a total of 23 pairs of chromosomes that you inherit from both parents. Each of these have sections called genes that determine different physical features and traits. Your genes make up your genotype that determines your physical appearance (aka phenotype). Furthermore, genes can be either dominant or recessive. You inherit one gene from your mother and one from your father for each trait. And it’s possible to inherit a combination of dominant and recessive genes for each trait. When both forms of a gene are the same (e.g. dominant) this is called homozygous, whereas one of each is called heterozygous. This can result in many physical-characteristics differences between siblings and even fraternal twins.

• Male-pattern baldness can be passed down from one generation to the next, however, the DNA you receive may come from your mother, father, or even your grandparents. This explains why one brother experiences baldness while the other has a full head of hair

• A biracial couple in the UK had fraternal twin girls, one of whom inherited her English-born mother’s light brown hair and fair skin, while the other girl has black hair and brown skin like her father, who is of Jamaican descent.

• Two sisters are more likely to share many of the same gene versions compared to two unrelated women

• Height is determined by more than 100 genes and each child in the same family gets a unique, complex combination of these genes from their parents. If one parent is tall and the other short, the child’s height can be similar to one or the other, although it’s usually in between the two. Random gene assortment can lead to a child being substantially shorter or taller than both parents and explains why siblings can vary greatly in height

Do Siblings Share the Same DNA?

Siblings share much of the same DNA, but recombination explains why it is possible for siblings to have different DNA mixtures that give each their distinct look. Due to recombination, each chromosome you get from your mother is a mix of her parents’ chromosomes and each chromosome you got from your father is a mix of his parents’ chromosomes. With that said, if you and a sibling took a DNA test, it would reveal long stretches of common DNA letters. These segments are referred to as a DNA match.

Full Siblings: Each child with the same biological mother and father inherits an estimated 50% of DNA from each parent, but not the exact same half. A portion of the DNA full siblings inherit will be the exact same DNA from both parents. The siblings will match at the same location on their DNA on both the mother’s and father’s strand of DNA.

Half Siblings: Unlike full siblings, half siblings only match DNA on the one parent they share in common. On average, half siblings share about 25% of their DNA. Typically, half-sisters with a common dad share more DNA than a half-brother and half-sister due to how X and Y chromosomes are passed to children. But due to the mix of the other 22 pairs of chromosomes, it’s a remote possibility for a half-brother and sister to share as much DNA as same-gender siblings.

Do Fraternal Twins Share More DNA Than Siblings?

Fraternal twins are siblings who share the same womb. Each starts out as a separate egg fertilized by a separate sperm. Therefore, fraternal twins don’t share more DNA than any two siblings, which is 50%, however, they may look more alike than other siblings in the family.

If you’ve been thinking about ordering a sibling test, you’ve come to the right place. Validity Genetics offers the latest technology and accurate testing to resolve questioned biological-sibling relationships.

Home Sibling DNA Test

from $199.00

Forensic Infidelity: How Does DNA Testing With Hair Work?

Do you need to confirm a relationship? Curious to know if you can test DNA from hair? We will walk you through how hair DNA testing works, the advantages, the drawbacks, and more. 

Can You Do an Infidelity DNA Test with Hair?

Using hair as a DNA source for testing has been common practice for decades. Hair is made up of a protein called keratin, and at the root of each hair is a follicle, which contains DNA. When a hair is plucked, often the DNA-containing follicle is removed with it. Access to the hair follicle DNA is one of the most critical aspects of testing. 

Technicians can use the DNA found in hair follicles for a variety of tests, including:

• Paternity Testing

• Forensic Infidelity Testing

• DNA Relationship Testing

• Drug Testing

• Medical Testing

• And More

How Does DNA Testing with Hair Work?

A sample of multiple hairs (7-10) with intact follicles is necessary to achieve the best results from a hair DNA test. To ensure a hair sample has the necessary follicles attached, it is vital to look at the end of the hair closely. A hair with an intact follicle will appear slightly thicker at the root end and you will see a tiny light-colored bulb. After the testing provider receives the hair sample, they can begin processing it for DNA extraction. 

Normally, the DNA within the hair sample will be amplified or copied so that there is enough of it to be analyzed. The amplification of DNA is achieved through a process called polymerase chain reaction or PCR. PCR works by repeatedly heating and cooling DNA. When DNA is heated, it separates into two single strands. Next, an enzyme called “Taq polymerase” is introduced to the sample. This enzyme synthesizes and uses the original DNA strands to “build” two new strands of DNA. Technicians can repeat this process many times, producing millions of copies of the original DNA. 

With paternity testing, a laboratory technician would compare the extracted DNA from the alleged father’s hair to the child’s DNA. They would analyze the two DNA samples and look for similarities. From there, they could determine a probability of paternity based on either the presence or absence of similarities in the DNA. 

The Advantages of a Hair DNA Test

Using hair as a sample for DNA testing is a method that has been around for many years. Below are some of the advantages that a hair DNA test provides.

It’s Great for People Unable to Provide a Cheek Swab

Hair DNA testing is totally non-invasive, meaning that it is a great option when a tested party (adult or child) is unable to provide a cheek swab. The non-invasive aspect of hair testing makes it a more comfortable and convenient experience.

Hair DNA Testing is Reliable

Hair DNA testing is a reliable identification method and has been used for many years across a plethora of industries. Hair DNA testing is often used in forensic investigations to identify potential suspects of crimes. In some scenarios, it can even be used to legally establish paternity (in select cases**).

Using a Hair Sample is Sometimes Less Expensive

Hair DNA testing is occasionally more affordable than other types, such as blood testing. Certain DNA testing providers have more extensive fees when it comes to handling bio-hazards like blood. 

Discrete Sample Collection is Possible

Discrete sample collection using hair can be possible, though it is vital to remember that multiple hairs would need to be removed from the dermal layer of the skin with intact follicles. Perhaps you’re a mother, and you are questioning who the biological father of your child is, but you do not want to alarm the potential father. In this scenario, using the alleged father’s hair as a sample for a paternity test could be an option for you. 

The Drawbacks of a Hair DNA Test

Although using hair for DNA testing is generally considered to be reliable and accurate, there are some limitations, including:

Hair Samples Must Contain The Follicle

Hair clippings and shed hair on a brush do not make for acceptable samples. A hair sample for DNA testing needs to have the hair follicle attached. Some DNA testing companies may claim otherwise, but accredited industry leaders will strongly discourage DNA testing with a hair sample that does not contain a follicle. 

Testing Will Require Multiple Hairs 

In addition to the hair sample needing to have the follicle attached, the sample also should be comprised of more than one hair; 7-10 hairs is the industry standard when it comes to an acceptable sample size. 

A DNA Test Is Only as Good as the Testing Provider

The accuracy of a hair DNA test can be affected by several factors, including the testing provider. If the laboratory that performs the test lacks necessary accreditation or does not have a good reputation, it is more likely to produce inaccurate or untrustworthy results. Our laboratory partner has over 9 accreditations and certifications including: AABB, ISO 17025, A2LA, MoJ (United Kingdom), CAP, ISO 9001, and ILAC.

Other DNA Test Sample Options

Overall, hair DNA tests are a valuable tool for identifying individuals. However, it is essential to be aware of the limitations of this type of testing. Many other types of samples can be used for DNA testing, including:

• A Buccal Swab (Cheek Swab)

• Blood/Dried Blood Stains

• Semen

• Nail Clippings

• Diabetic Test Strips

• A Toothbrush

• Ear Swabs

• Shaving Razor Blades

• Cigarette Butts

• Chewing Gum (Sugar-Free Is Preferred)

• And More

Our DNA experts are happy to provide a free consultation and help you understand all of your testing options for your unique situation, including pricing. Contact us at Info@ValidityGenetics.com or via Facebook Messenger. 

**It is crucial to note that DNA samples collected at home are only applicable for peace-of-mind testing. In order for a DNA test to be admissible in court, a specific chain of custody needs to be followed. Samples must be collected in an approved facility where individuals provide identification before submitting samples. This chain of custody ensures that DNA samples cannot be tampered with and that those who provide them are who they claim to be.