First, if you are screening for genetic diseases, you should understand that home DNA testing kits need to be considered in conjunction with many other factors that influence the development of many diseases tested for in home DNA testing kits.  There are a range of environmental, social and behavior factors that can influence disease along with genetic factors.

Second, if you are interested in home DNA testing kits for paternity, you should know that although these tests are highly reliable and may be the best choice in many circumstances, but the results from these test are not admissible in court.  For a court ordered paternity test, or to use the results in any court proceedings or to provide as evidence to government welfare agencies, you will need to have legal DNA paternity testing done.

Finally, although there are a variety of excellent laboratories that sell affordable home DNA testing kits online, you should always compare prices between companies for these tests, being sure the prices include both the DNA testing kit and laboratory results.  Home DNA testing kits generally range in price from a couple of hundred dollars up to several hundred dollars.

By carefully comparing prices of online laboratories and keeping these cautionary points in mind, you should be able to get some answers to pressing questions you have regarding paternity, genetics, ancestry and more.

You can find more information about home DNA testing kits on the Legal DNA Paternity Testing homepage

There are two kinds of home paternity testing kits that most consumers will encounter when shopping online or in stores.  The first is known as a “buccal swab analysis” and the second is hair sample analysis.

With a buccal swab, a cotton like swab is rubbed on the inside of the mouth to collect cells that are then sent to a laboratory for analysis.  For hair DNA analysis, a full length of hair (including the root section) is sent to the laboratory.  This can be head, body or pubic hair, but it cannot be cut hair since this will not contain the root.  A typical hair sample DNA test will require you pluck three or more hairs from the person or persons being tested and place them in a coded sealed container.

Home DNA test kits can be used not only establish paternity but also for ancestry DNA testing, and for finding predisposition to certain diseases.  Most home DNA tests will take up to three weeks to obtain results.

Home DNA paternity tests are important devices when individuals or families seek to ascertain paternity in a confidential manner, but you should be aware that they have no legal standing in courts.  If you are interested in using your DNA results in a court case, you will need to have a legally certified DNA test conducted.

You can read more about legal DNA paternity testing, including information about court ordered paternity tests, at the Legal DNA Paternity Testing website.

DNA home tests that are marketed directly to consumers are legal in about half the states in the United States, although they are banned in many European countries.  One of the dangers of home DNA tests is that for the tests looking at genetic disease predisposition, the individual taking the test may not fully understand how such diseases are also influenced by a range of environmental, social, behavioral and genetic factors.  As a result, they may  falsely conclude they have more or less risk for a disease based on the results of home DNA tests.

This is one of the main reasons so many states and European countries have banned the use of home DNA tests.  But also, many of the companies that sell home DNA test kits have an interest in marketing and selling individuals supplements to improve your health based on your results, and there is serious concern that the commercial interests of many of these companies may be influencing the information and the manner they relate to consumers who use at home DNA tests.

There is, however, at least one major advantage to using an home DNA tests: privacy concerns.  Although you need to read the fine print regarding privacy and disclosure for any company you purchase a home DNA test from, the desire to keep the results private is one major motivating factor for many consumers.

Recently the American Societies of Human Genetics made some recommendations regarding how to best ascertain and use at home DNA tests.  They suggest that you carefully read the privacy policy for the company to ascertain who confidential the results will be and if there will be any risk to your insurance if there are negative results.  The company should be able to tell you in plain language how predictive and scientifically valid their results are, especially in comparison to other disease risk factors.  The company should also have some policy regarding how to deal with the emotional consequences of a result showing predisposition to diseases. And finally, the laboratory should be certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) of 1988.

As common sense always suggests, however, with any home DNA test that you are purchasing online or elsewhere, be sure to read the fine print and make sure the tests come from high quality labs with a national reputation.

For more information about home DNA paternity test kits, please return to the Legal DNA Paternity Testing homepage.

If you are are seeking a private method of DNA paternity testing, an at home test kit may be the best choice.  DNA paternity test kits allow for self-collection of materials, and can help avoid unnecessary confrontations or tensions that often occur with a legal DNA paternity testing.

If you are taking the DNA paternity test only for personal knowledge and do not plan on any immediate legal actions, an at home DNA paternity test is an easy and affordable option when compared to a legal DNA paternity test.  Both legal and at home DNA paternity tests have the same level of accuracy of results, but if you do not need the legal documentation, you can save yourself a bit of money by choosing an at home DNA paternity test.

Even if you may be seeking legal action, home DNA paternity test may be the best choice for you initially. Many choose to use an at home DNA paternity test to help prove or disprove any doubts about paternity prior to obtaining a legal DNA paternity test.

At home DNA paternity test kits are also easily available online or over the counter, and provide quick results with minimum hassle.  Do make sure, however, when pricing your at home DNA paternity test that the price you are paying also includes obtaining the results (or find out how much extra the results will cost).  You should expect to pay in the $100-300 range for most at home paternity test kits.

There are many reasons to choose an at home DNA paternity test kit.  However, if you think legal DNA paternity testing may be the best choice for you, or if you are interested in obtaining or have been ordered to take a court ordered paternity test, please read the other articles at Legal DNA Paternity Testing for more information.