Kinship

In cases where an alleged father is unavailable for testing, GeneMatch offers several Kinship Testing options to determine if the child is related to the alleged father's close relatives such as parents and siblings. Kinship tests are also used to confirm other biological relationships, such as identical/fraternal twins and maternity.

The descriptions below give you an overview of our testing capabilities. If you are unsure about which test to order, please take advantage of our free consultation via our online form or phone (1-800-275-4163). GeneMatch’s kinship testing specialists are experienced at handling different family relationship scenarios. They will help you choose the right test based on the information you provide.

Testing can be done either privately (self-collection of DNA samples at home) or using a Chain of Custody procedure to make the test usable in a legal situation. The testing fees will be determined once your testing needs have been established.

Grandparentage Test
A Grandparentage Test can be performed in cases where the alleged father is unavailable or unwilling to participate in a paternity test. This test can only be done if both biological grandparents (parents of the alleged father) are available and willing to participate in testing.

Siblingship Test
A siblingship test can be done between two persons to determine if they are full or half siblings. Clients who choose siblingship tests usually fall into two categories:

	The two persons share one known parent (usually the mother) and want to check if they also share the other parent (usually the father). This test is called a full siblingship test.
	The two persons are from different mothers and suspect that they may have the same father. This test is called a half siblingship test.

Participation of the children’s mother(s) is strongly recommended in a siblingship test to achieve more conclusive results.

Reconstruction testing
Reconstruction testing can be performed in a number of different ways using a variety of possible relatives. This form of testing is usually helpful when the alleged father of a child cannot be tested and when one or both of his parents are unavailable.

Maternity testing
Maternity testing is often used to confirm the biological relationship between a mother and child who have been separated by circumstances such as adoption. Often, adoption records have been sealed and only a DNA maternity test will give definitive answers to such questions.

Twin Zygosity testing
Twin zygosity tests determine if twins are fraternal or identical. Often times, relying on physical appearance alone is not enough. A twin zygosity test will reveal the true biological relationship. Results of a twin zygosity test not only provide information to satisfy curiosity but also serve as an important piece of the child’s medical history which may aid in diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disease later on in life. Only the two children are required to participate in this test.

For more information, please call us at 1-800-275-4163 or use our online contact form.