What is DNA Test?

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a DNA Test used for?

 Uses of DNA testing

• A DNA test is used to determine someone's paternity for medico-legal purposes
• In forensic sciences, to connect evidence in case of a suspicious situation
• To trace someone's lineage
• During pregnancy to screen any genetic diseases in the unborn fetus
• To curate medications for hereditary diseases

Understanding the test results of DNA Test

The test results of DNA testing can tell you about paternity or the presence of a genetic disease. Everyone inherits a set of genes from their parents. If there is the presence of similar genes or alleles in parents and children, then the DNA report will reveal that particular gene or allele in its report.

Why do I need a DNA Test?

In case you want to check your paternity for legal purposes, or you are interested in knowing more about your ancestral lineage, you can take a DNA test. This test can also be taken to know about the presence or possibility of any genetic disease which can be transmitted from parents to their children.

What happens during a DNA Test?

During the test, a sample from your body can be taken for DNA testing. Usually, it can be taken from the mouth through a cheek swab, from your hair or nails, body fluids like blood, semen, sweat, etc. It is then taken into the laboratory and treated with certain chemicals for further analysis.

Can siblings have different DNA?

Yes, siblings can have different DNA. A child inherits 50% of the DNA from either of the parents, and the combination of that DNA can vary from child to child. The probability of getting the same combination is very rare. However, in general, there is a similarity of 50% in siblings’ DNA and 100% in the case of identical twins.

Is DNA Test legal in India?

There is no clear-cut law on DNA profiling in India. However, one can take this test in cases of civil disputes like paternity tests and for knowing predisposition to certain genetic diseases in pregnant women and children. A forced DNA testing against anyone's wishes violates the law of privacy and should not be done at any cost.

Can you do a DNA Test while still pregnant?

Yes, you can take a DNA test while you are still pregnant. It can be done as early as 8-9 weeks of pregnancy. A blood sample is taken from the mother's blood, which has fetal cells, and then can be tested for paternity confirmation or to check for the presence of any risk of inherited genetic diseases.

How long does it take for a DNA Test?

DNA test usually takes around 3-5 days from the time the sample is taken from the person. The results can vary from place to place. At the most, you can expect the test results of your DNA profiling within a week in India. Although, some special tests may take a much longer time.

Does a DNA test fail?

Just like all other tests, there is a probability of failure with the DNA test as well. It can range from human error in retrieving the sample to contamination in a laboratory. However, the chance is quite less. In that case, you can always go for a second time testing with a different laboratory for your assurance.

Which DNA kit is most accurate?

Experts recommend that one should not rely on any DNA kit for understanding their genetic makeup for any use. Rather, one should always go to a certified laboratory to get this test done for valid results. DNA test kits may give you a lot of false positives or negatives, depending on whatever you are looking at.