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A paternity test plays an important role in determining parentage as well as assigning financial responsibility to a father. In order to do this reliably, the choice of how a paternity test is administered must be carefully weighed. When you need or want to establish the child’s paternity prior to giving birth, there are two different methods that are usually employed for paternity testing. Since both types of pre-natal paternity tests can have a potential impact on the fetus a doctor's consent is necessary to perform the test. The first type of test is through amniocentesis when the child is in the fourteenth through twenty-fourth week of its development in the pregnancy. This paternity test is performed by a doctor in a procedure room with a needle going directly into the uterus to remove a small amount of amniotic fluid. This fluid will contain the DNA that will be used for the paternity test. There are risks associated with this procedure, however, as it involves amniotic fluid. Risks include harm to the baby, leaking amniotic fluid, bleeding and cramping. To ensure that risks are limited during this type of paternity test, a doctor will have to consent to the procedure, taking into consideration the health of the mother and of the child. Another option for paternity testing is CVS, or Chorionic Villi Sampling. This is a test that takes a needle or a tube that is inserted into the vagina by a physician in order to obtain chorionic villi. Using an ultrasound, the physician will attempt to obtain these villi which are small pieces of tissue that are attached to the uterus walls. Since this villi and the fetus are related to the production of the original egg that was fertilized, they will have a similar genetic makeup and thus be a good candidate for a sample for a paternity test. Unlike the amniocentesis, the CVS procedure can be done much earlier in the pregnancy, at about ten to thirteen weeks. However, there are still risks associated with bleeding and cramping as well as possible miscarriage by encouraging contractions.

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