Editing DNA paternity testing (section)

==Prenatal paternity testing for unborn child==

===Invasive prenatal paternity testing===
It is possible to determine who the biological father of the fetus is while the woman is still pregnant through a procedure known as [[chorionic villus sampling]] or [[amniocentesis]]. Chorionic villus sampling retrieves placental tissue, which can be done either through the cervix (transcervical) or the adbominal wall (transabdominal). Amniocentesis involves collecting amniotic fluid by inserting a needle through the pregnant mother's abdominal wall. Both procedures are highly accurate because they obtain samples directly from the fetus. However, there is a small risk of miscarriage associated with them, which could result in the loss of the pregnancy. Both CVS and amniocentesis require the pregnant woman to consult a maternal-fetal medicine specialist who will perform the procedure.

===Non-invasive prenatal paternity testing===
Recent advances in [[genetic testing]] have led to the ability to identify the biological father while the woman is still pregnant. A small quantity of cell-free fetal DNA ([[cffDNA]]) is present in the mother's blood during pregnancy. This allows for accurate paternity testing during pregnancy from a blood draw without any risk of miscarriage. Research indicates that cffDNA can first be detected as early as seven weeks into the pregnancy, and its quantity increases as the pregnancy continues.<ref>{{cite journal|title="The New England Journal of Medicine "A Non-invasive Test to Determine Paternity in Pregnancy" May 3, 2012|journal=New England Journal of Medicine|volume=366|issue=18|pages=1743–1745|publisher=The New England Journal of Medicine|doi=10.1056/NEJMc1113044|pmid=22551147|year=2012|last1=Guo|first1=Xin|last2=Bayliss|first2=Philip|last3=Damewood|first3=Marian|last4=Varney|first4=John|last5=Ma|first5=Emily|last6=Vallecillo|first6=Brett|last7=Dhallan|first7=Ravinder|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bloomfield |first=Frank |date=2009-07-01 |title=The peri-conceptional origins of the life-long physiological consequences of being a twin |url=https://doi.org/10.36866/pn.75.31 |journal=Physiology News |issue=Summer 2009 |pages=31–33 |doi=10.36866/pn.75.31}}</ref>