Maternity and paternity testing after IVF

With increasing numbers of babies being born as a result of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, DNA testing can give you peace of mind over the biological identity of your child.

While this fertility treatment has given the gift of parenthood to large numbers of people who are unable to conceive naturally, it can also bring potential doubts over both the paternity and maternity of the resulting baby.

Although mistakes and mix-ups are extremely rare, DNA testing can establish the identity of a child’s biological mother and father for certain.

DNA testing after IVF

Statistics from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) show that in 2017,

54,760 patients underwent 75,425 fertility treatment cycles in the UK. Donor insemination and IVF made up the majority of treatments.

During the IVF process, doctors collect eggs from the mother and fertilise then with sperm from the father or a donor. In 2017, 13% of IVF procedures involved the use of donor eggs and/or donor sperm. This percentage is increasing annually.

Fertilisation takes place in a laboratory and the resulting embryo is then implanted in the mother’s womb. As the fertilisation process takes place in a clinic or hospital, there is a small risk that there could be a mix-up which could result in a woman carrying a child which is not biologically related to her. Although mistakes of this kind are rare, parents might find it reassuring to take a paternity test or a maternity test for their peace of mind. It is also possible to take a prenatal DNA test so if there have been any errors, they will be discovered before the child is born.

Order a Home Paternity Test Online

What kind of DNA test do I need?

The purpose of a maternity DNA test is to ascertain if there is a biological relationship between a child and a mother. It can confirm that the correct embryo was implanted into her uterus. DNA paternity tests establish whether there is a biological link between a father and a child.

Both of these tests can be performed in newborn babies by collecting a DNA sample immediately after birth. This simple process just involves rubbing a mouth swab on the inside of the baby’s cheek for about 20 seconds. This collects a sample of buccal cells, which can then be analysed for the DNA back at our laboratory. This method of collecting cheek cells is very quick and painless, and should cause no distress to the baby. A paternity test would also require requires cheek (buccal) swab samples. from the father. The mother would need to provide a similar sample for a maternity test. Results can be made available the day after the samples are received in the laboratory for £89. Same day results can also be made available for an extra £70.

Prenatal paternity testing after IVF

Prenatal paternity testing can be performed before a baby is born to confirm if the sperm donor is the biological father. The test can be performed from as early as 7 weeks after conception (or 9 weeks after the last period). This non-invasive method requires cheek (buccal) swab samples from the sperm donor and a blood sample and cheek swabs from the mother. There is no risk to the mother or the unborn child when taking this test.

Order a Non-Invasive Prenatal Paternity (NIPP) Test Online

Our peace of mind Prenatal Paternity test costs £695 for results in 3-5 working days*. If you would like your results sooner, our Express Service guarantees your results back in just 3 working days* (+£200).

The cost of the test includes all fees for laboratory testing and analysis, as well as FREE sample collection at any of our nationwide walk-in centres.

You can also spread the cost of your test with a choice of finance options including:

• Pay in 3 interest-free payments using PayPal
• Pay in 3 interest-free payments using Klarna
• Various other flexible finance options – call 0333 600 1300 for more information

Order online now or contact us on 0333 600 1300 / info@alphabiolabs.com to discuss your needs.

Please note: If you require a NIPP test for legal or official matters, you will need a legal prenatal DNA test.

*From receipt of samples into our laboratory