Amniocentesis Paternity TestWhen you talk about an amniocentesis paternity test, you are talking about a test that is performed while the baby is still in the mother's womb. This is why it is called amniocentesis since the child is still in the amniotic sac or the water bag that holds it inside the mother's stomach. This is often done to help prove who the child's father is before the child is born. Reasons behind this may include the incidence where the mother may have had multiple partners upon the time of the baby's conception. The Risks of an Amniocentesis Paternity Test Proving the paternity of a child even while in the womb does have a lot of risks involved. The procedure is a bit delicate since it involves a needle and the close proximity of the said needle to the child in the womb. How this is done is with the help of an ultrasound machine that shows the doctor where he or she should insert the needle that will then extract amniotic fluid from the sac that protects the baby. This fluid is then used for testing the DNA to see who the child's father is or to prove paternity. The risks involved with this kind of testing, however, deter some mothers from taking it and makes them opt for a post-natal paternity test. The risks include side effects like vaginal bleeding, the leaking of the amniotic fluid, and cramping. The more dangerous risks that come with this amniocentesis paternity test is the possibility of the baby moving while the needle is inserted, thereby, hurting the baby or the mother and the scarier possibility of a miscarriage. The Advantages of This Kind of a Paternity Test While some mothers do fear for the safety of their babies and themselves in this type of a test, there are some who wish to know who the child's father is before they do give birth. Unlike California that allows for a voluntary acknowledgment of paternity, some states need a proof of fatherhood before a person can claim that he is indeed the father of a child. The use of an amniocentesis paternity test in this effect is to provide the acknowledgment of paternity before the child is born so that the father's name can appear on the child's birth certificate. This can also help establish the mother's grounds for asking for child support from the father at the very beginning of the pregnancy since this test can be administered during the second trimester of the pregnancy. Other Alternatives to the Amniocentesis Paternity Test If you find that you cannot risk your health or your baby's life on such a risky yet conclusive test, you can take other paternity tests available to you. There are a lot of testing services in a lot of hospitals all over the United States that can help you get the results you need, and some of them can even be performed earlier than the amniocentesis one. One such test is the chorionic villus sampling that can be performed at 10 weeks of pregnancy. There is also a cheap paternity testing kit from certain labs and testing labs that have tests that can be done from the safety and privacy of your home, but these can only be done once the baby is born. |