Kinship
GE Investigations offers DNA testing and other laboratory services through an accredited DNA laboratory (not a test kit).
In addition to conventional paternity testing, DNA analysis can provide information about a number of
family relationships such as maternity, siblingship, twins and grand-parentage.
Maternity
Maternity testing can be used to confirm the biological relationship between a mother and child. The
testing follows the same principles as in paternity testing. This test is often useful in cases were a child
has been separated by adoption or there is a concern that the baby was switched at birth. The fee for
this test includes the mother and a single child.
Siblingship
This test determines if two or more individuals have common parents. Full siblings share both parents
while half-siblings share one parent. DNA samples from both alleged siblings are necessary. Testing of
the parents increases the accuracy of the test. The fee for this test is based on the number of
individuals tested.
Grand-parentage test
Grand-parentage Testing identifies a relationship between an individual and an alleged grandparent.
This test is useful for paternity where the alleged father is unavailable for testing. This test can be
conducted using one grandparent, however testing of both grandparents results in the most conclusive
results.
Twins
Approximately one in every fifty Americans is a twin, two thirds of which are fraternal and one third
identical. Triplets occur once in every 8000 deliveries.
Identical twins are formed when one egg is fertilized by a single sperm cell and then divides within the
first few days of pregnancy. If division of the egg occurs after 8 days, this can result in conjoined twins,
also known as Siamese twins. Twins produced by this process are referred to as identical since their
DNA sequence is identical. While the twins are identical genetically, this often does not apply to the
actual physical or behavioral traits. Generally their traits are similar, however they can differ. The
occurrence and distribution of identical twins in the population appears randomly and does not matter
when, where, or to whom they were born.
Fraternal twins are formed when two eggs are independently fertilized by two sperm cells. Fraternal
twins do not have identical DNA but will have half of their DNA in common, just like siblings of the same
parents that are born at different times. Fraternal twins can either be of the same sex or different sex.
The occurrence of fraternal twins varies substantially in frequency over the world. They are common in
the pregnancies of older women, especially common in Africans, and relatively rare among those of
Asian heritage.
Twin classification done at delivery often results in misidentification. For example, approximately
25-33% of identical twins have two sets of chorionic membranes. Unless a DNA or other blood test was
performed, it is difficult to accurately determine if twins are fraternal or identical. The fee for this test
includes 2 individuals.
When you order a kinship test, we will send you a free sampling kit which includes all the supplies
necessary to collect DNA samples from the appropriate individuals along with instructions for sample
collection.
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