Resolved question:
I have an ex girlfriend that is claiming pregnancy. She has been very cryptic and hasn't shown me a lot of solid proof. She claims to be 21 weeks pregnant at this point which is a possibility however we have been apart for quite some time. She tells me that this week she is going to receive an amniocentesis because she is a high risk pregnancy so I asked if a DNA test could also be administered with the samples collected from the amniocentesis. At first she was okay with this however after consulting her doctor (she said) she was informed the dr. refused on the grounds that the procedure would require more sample to be collected & would present additional risk to both the mother & child. She also said he recommended another Dr. to do it which would have to do the entire procedure over again & present double the risk so she was unwilling to do it. My question is, could not the same sample that is taken during the amniocentesis to test for birth defects, down syndrome etc, be used to administer a paternity test without additional risk? I'm just not sure whether or not she is telling me the truth at this point. Thank You
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
OBGYN
Hello,
Thank you for your consult at DoctorSpring.com.
For administering a paternity test, 1 ml of amniotic fluid is required.
For the genetic testing too, a small amount is required.
Sample for the DNA paternity testing can definitely be withdrawn at the same sitting for amniocentesis. IT does not need two sittings - the sample for the paternity testing can be directly transported to the concerned laboratory.
You should insist that this be done, if you want a paternity test.
There is no added risk over and above the inherent risk involved in the procedure of amniocentesis.
Take care.
Please feel free to ask for further clarifications.