The How’s And Why’s Of Non-Paternity And Non-Maternity Events

It is not always that who you presume to be the biological father or mother are the real ones. This mistaken identity of paternity and maternity may lie either by the presumed father or by the physician. In genetic genealogy and clinical genetics, this is called non-paternity and non-maternity events.

There are many reasons and circumstances why non-paternity and non-maternity happen. One example is non-paternity event happens when there was a sperm donation. Another circumstance is when the mother had sexual intercourse other than the presumed father. Non-maternity event arises when egg donation happens. Egg donation is the method where a woman gives one or several eggs, which most of the time range from 10 to 15, to assist reproduction or biomedical research. Popular terms associated with egg donations are third party reproduction and in vitro fertilization where eggs are fertilized in the laboratory.

Possible non-paternity and non-maternity events also occur in hidden adoptions. This means, the child never knew he was adopted. When necessity for paternity or maternity identification comes, the definitive conclusion of non-paternity is through DNA testing, which includes several methods and technologies.
However, requirements for consent and counselling for DNA testing are different from each country’s laws and policies. DNA testing is the most advanced and accurate method to determine both non-paternity and non-maternity.

In determining whether the presumed parents are real biological ones or in determining real biological parent-child relationship, subjects undergo parental testing. Such process uses the genetic fingerprinting (or DNA profiling), which is a technique to identify identity through DNA profiles.

A paternity test serves as a genetic proof if an individual is the biological father of a child. On the other hand, a maternity test supplies a genetic proof if an individual is the biological mother of a child. Other methods used in determining paternity or maternity of an individual are ABO blood group typing, analysis of proteins and enzymes, and the use of human leukocyte antigen antigens to name some. Other paternity tests also involve the use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Oftentimes, in testing the paternity of a male child, comparison of the Y chromosome is used since it is directly passed on to a son. In the case where DNA parental tests results showed 0% of parentage, the presumed parents are not related biologically to the child. When presumed father and mother are biological parents of the child, results would show more than 99.9% parentage.

Normally, non-paternity event is rated at around 10%. However, results of a 2005 scientific review of parental discrepancy showed that 10% is an overestimate. The results found out a range of non-paternity event only from .8% to 30%, with a media of 3.7%. Results also showed that risk of parental discrepancy is higher when the parents are young, couples are unmarried, parents belong to a lower socio-economic status, or couples come from certain cultural groups.

The discovery of non-paternity or non-maternity events may have obviously both social and medical consequences.