+353 (1) 685 6929 A DNA maternity test is used to establish a biological relationship between an alleged mother and a child. The test works in exactly the same way as a paternity test, comparing a child’s DNA to that of the parent in question.
There are many instances where a maternity test would be needed, for example in adoption cases, or for immigration or medical purposes. In the case of adopted children, many search for their biological parents later in life and a DNA test would be the only certain way to confirm if a person is in fact your biological parent. The same would work the other way round, if a parent was searching for a child it had put up for adoption years ago.
In the case of donor conception, it is also now possible for children to be reunited with their biological parents. There may be emotional reasons for these reunions, but it could also be for medical reasons, for instance, in organ donation a match is often needed and more often than not, these would be best coming from a parent or sibling.
In immigration cases, a DNA test is often required to prove that a biological relationship exists. In these cases a legal test would be used providing identification with regards to visa or citizenship applications. In the past, this has been a very slow, arduous process for all concerned, but now, thanks to DNA testing, a relationship can be confirmed easily and quickly, thus aiding in the application process.
How is the test conducted?
The test would begin by looking at different genetic loci markers in the DNA of each person participating in the test. Everybody has a pair of each of these markers, with one being inherited from the biological mother and one being inherited from the biological father. The test then goes on to compare each of these markers between the mother and the child. Half of the child’s marker should match the mother’s and half should match the father’s.
It is perfectly reliable to perform the test without a DNA sample from the father. In the absence of the father, a DNA testing laboratory would test the same markets that it tests in a normal paternity test to reach the required level of certainty about the relationship. A laboratory will not report a result unless there is at least a 99% probability that the possible mother is or isn’t the biological mother of the child.
At easyDNA we provide only accurate maternity testing services so you can rest assured that the result of your test will confirm or not if you are the biological mother. For any questions feel free to contact our experienced customer service team.