Maternity Test
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Maternity DNA testing is a genetic comparison to establish a biological link between participants.
The test determines the parentage probability of a woman being the biological mother of a child.
The analysis can be done after the birth of the child with oral samples or non-standard samples.
Those tested include a child, an alleged mother and a biological father (not mandatory).
What is a Maternity test?
Order your DNA test kit online
Receive your DNA kit
home
Take samples
at home
Send
your
samples
Discover your results
by email
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It is possible to do a Maternity test during a legal procedure.
It is a request that can be implemented by the decision of a judge in the context of cases concerning family law.
You can also do a Maternity DNA test at home in a private setting.
The order can be made directly on the internet from your home in order to receive the sampling equipment at home.
Unfortunately, it is still not possible to obtaina DNA test in pharmacy, moreover, only a laboratory with genetic analysis equipment and accredited by international standards can provide the result for a Maternity test.
How to do a Maternity DNA test?
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The maternity DNA test can be performed with:
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- Saliva samples: (Sterile buccal swabs)
- Non-standard samples : Like hair, nails, toothbrush...
Be careful, you must follow the instructions and respect the conditions so that the samples provide enough genetic information for your test.
What type of sample is used for the test?
Maternity Test Participants
Who can participate in a parentage test?
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Each individual has a genetic heritage composed of 50% of that of his father and 50% of his mother. The maternity DNA test determines if the genetic profile of the child matches 50% with the genetic profile of an alleged mother.
- One or more presumed mothers
In the event that the doubt of maternity would relate to presumed mothers coming from the same family, both mothers and the father must participate in the test with the child.
Otherwise, the results lose precision.
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- If the mother is not available for the test, follow our guide in the maternity search
- One or more boy/girl children can participate in the test
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Children can share the same father or not
The test can be done from birth, at any age
- The biological father of the child
The father's participation in a maternity test excludes half of the child's DNA, leaving the other half for comparison with the alleged mother's DNA.
This improves the reliability and accuracy of the results.
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- The father(s) are recommended, but not mandatory to participate in the test
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Consent is the agreement you give to the laboratory to use your DNA for the purpose of doing a genetic analysis. It is mandatory if you wish to take a Maternity test. Consent can only be given explicitly by an adult and fully lucid person.
This agreement must be written after having received information about the results of the test, by a contract or a consent form .
It is against the law to do a DNA test without the person's consent.
For minors, consent must be provided by one of the legal parents.
What is consent?
Les résultats du test de maternité
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- 3-5 days using buccal swabs for all participants
- 10 days minimum if one of the participants uses non-standard samples
This delay is calculated from the moment your samples arrive at the laboratory.
Transport time is not taken into account.
What are the analysis times for a Maternity test?
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The reliability and authenticity of the Maternity DNA test depends on several factors:
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- The quality of the samples
- Laboratory accreditation
- The choice of the test according to the family situation
How reliable are the results?
The quality of the DNA will depend on the samples taken and the storage of the samples. It is therefore important to follow the instructions of the laboratory in order to ensure that you receive results.
Accredited laboratories meet the requirements relating to the analysis process, management of resources and equipment, impartiality and confidentiality of information. For a maternity test, the laboratory must have an ISO 17025 accreditation .
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The reliability of the result depends on the number of genes compared. All the laboratories offer tests on an average of 15 to 22 genes (Loci STR) to make the comparison between the participants.
Depending on your situation, you have the possibility to ask the laboratory for an extended comparison of the number of loci. The extended comparison improves the precision and therefore the reliability of the results.
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The maternity test offers a 100% reliable negative result and a 99.9% reliable positive result.
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The results are presented in the form of a table:
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- Each column corresponding to a participant
- Each row to compared genes
- The composition of the gene is represented by one or two numbers per person
The child must have at least one number in common per line with the presumed mother. If the match is perfect on all rows, then the relation is concluded, otherwise it is rejected.
How to read the results of a Maternity DNA test?
Genetic Laboratory
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The choice of laboratory is a very important step when you want to do a parentage test.
You should know that each of the laboratories has specific services and depending on your situation it is obvious to make the choice that corresponds to your situation.
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You must choose a laboratory according to:
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- Your family situation and available participants
- The confidence that the laboratory inspires through customer feedback
- The transparency of the company concerning its activity and your expectations
How to choose a reliable Laboratory?
Can a Maternity test be used for an immigration procedure?
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Yes, a maternity DNA test can be used for immigration procedures in countries that allow the use of private laboratories to perform legal tests. More information about legal tests on our legal page. Please request the necessary procedures from the Embassy before contacting the laboratory. Generally, the embassy or consulate of the foreign country takes care of the DNA collection for the beneficiary. Once the tests are complete, the lab can send the DNA test results directly to the applicant's immigration office.
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Can the maternity test be taken from different locations?
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Yes, you can certainly have the DNA collected while the participants are not together. In this case, the laboratory can send sampling kits to several addresses, the samples must be taken separately before being returned to the laboratory by post. The results are provided by email.
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Can a maternity test be done without the father's consent?
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Neither the consent of the father nor his participation is necessary during a maternity test for your peace of mind online. Nowadays, laboratories accept that the mother assumes full responsibility for the use of the child's genetic information.
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Can a maternity test be done without the mother's consent?
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Technically, it is possible to do a maternity test without the knowledge of the mother. For this to happen, the test candidate must be able to collect non-standard samples from the mother. We offer a list of samples that can be used for this test. Care should be taken, as this method is not recommended and it is particularly illegal to take this step to further your tests and even if it makes your test more reliable, it will have no legal value. In this case, the laboratories request that the solicitor be held responsible for the use of non-consensual samples.
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Can we do a maternity test without the mother?
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You have two options if you want to do a maternity test without the presumed mother present.
- or take a test with other family members, we explain this procedure to you in our guide to maternity research.
- or do the test using discrete samples belonging to the alleged mother, such as hair, nails, toothbrush... More explanations can be found in our article on non-standard samples.
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How to do a maternity test in Pharmacy?
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It is currently impossible to order a DNA test in pharmacies. Genetic analysis is offered by private laboratories that offer their services online or on site.
