If you need to solve the question of a child’s paternity, ARCpoint Labs of Charleston can help. We provide accurate, reliable paternity testing services to resolve legal and personal matters. To ensure that test results are legally-admissible, we only use American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) certified laboratories for our paternity testing analysis. Only trained, certified professionals collect and handle specimens using chain of custody guidelines. Our court-admissible paternity testing services are viable to use in hearings and judicial matters.

Our paternity testing lab will help you prove the paternity of your child with a court admissible paternity test that can be used in any court in the United States. Everyone inherits DNA from their biological parents. DNA paternity testing scientifically compares the child’s DNA with that of the alleged biological father and, in most cases, the mother as well (at no additional cost) to provide completely valid paternity test results.

• In 2013, 24.12% of men tested for paternity were proved not to be the father, according to the AABB 2013 annual report (the most recent report now available).
• Paternity testing often involves a cheek swab, a quick and non-invasive collection method.
• If parents are unwed, a child may not have a legal father until paternity is established.
• Hair, toothbrushes and fingernail clippings can all be used for paternity testing. (Please note that paternity testing results are only legally-admissible if DNA specimens are collected directly from the source).
• Grandparents, aunts and uncles are able to submit DNA for paternity testing if a parent is unavailable.

Prenatal (Pre-birth) Paternity Testing

Safe, accurate DNA testing is now available to identify the biological father of a fetus (baby) prior to birth. A non-invasive test with no risk of miscarriage is possible because fetal DNA is present in a blood sample from the pregnant mother. We will match fetal DNA with cheek (buccal) swab DNA from the alleged father or fathers. Pre-birth DNA testing can be performed as early as nine weeks into the pregnancy with accuracy over 99%.

Pregnant mothers unsure of the paternity of an unborn baby have a safe option for determining a father. Instead of undergoing an amniocentesis or Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) test, both of which have been linked to miscarriage, pregnant women can opt for non-invasive paternity testing.

With pre-birth paternity testing at ARCpoint Labs of Charleston, our trained lab technicians collect a sample of the mother’s blood to compare with the alleged father’s DNA, obtained from a buccal (cheek) swab.

Maternity Testing

Like paternity testing, maternity testing compares a child’s DNA pattern with that of his or her alleged mother. The DNA is then evaluated to see whether that woman could be the child’s biological mother. In most cases ARCpoint Labs of Charleston uses buccal (cheek) swab testing to obtain sample for DNA testing (samples may be obtained from blood, from hair or from items that have come in contact with saliva – toothbrush, gum, articles of clothing, etc.). These maternity DNA tests are most accurate when the biological father is available to be tested as well, but it is not mandatory.