Are home paternity tests reliable?

Question

Are home paternity tests reliable?

Answer 1

well they aren't really an "at home" test. i mean..you do gather the samples at home, but you have to send them into a lab and they post the results on a secure website or mail them to you.

you have to remember that contamination is an issue. when you do it from home you very well COULD unknowingly contaminate the sample. most of the time they give you a tube that has a s***w lid w/a mouth swab on it. you swab the inside of the cheek (inside the mouth) and then place the swab back into the tube and s***w the lid back tightly, then label it with the child's name that the swab was taken from.

you do the same thing with the potential parent with their own swab and tube. then it is sealed in an envelope and you either drop it off at the lab or mail it into the place that sent it to your home.

with in 3-6 business days they will notify you about the results either on your email, phone or mail.

it's only as reliable as YOU can make it. you want to make sure you wear latex (or latex free) surgical gloves to make sure that contamination from your hands does not occur. you want to make sure you put the swab into the tube immediately after taking the sample, and you want to make sure the lid is screwed into place well.  make sure it is packaged well to prevent contamination or damage.