The field of DNA testing in Poland is diverse and abundant. With a DNA test, you can identify genetic disorders, gauge your chances of developing certain diseases, check on fetal development, or even validate paternity. So, what does DNA testing entail, and when might you need one?
To put it simply, here’s what you need to know:
- DNA is your genetic blueprint. It dictates how you look and how prone you are to certain diseases.
- DNA tests can spot changes or mutations that could affect your health. Finding a mutation in your DNA could mean you’re more likely to develop certain diseases.
- DNA tests usually use saliva or blood samples. Your DNA remains the same throughout your life, so you only need to take the test once.
Is It Possible to DIY DNA Tests in Poland?
To do a genetic test at home, you just need to swab the inside of your cheek. Make sure you don’t eat or drink anything for two hours beforehand, and don’t touch the cotton with your fingers.
After you’ve collected your cheek cells, let the swab dry in the air for about two hours. Make sure it doesn’t touch anything. Then, put it in a test tube, label it, and send it off to the lab. You can do it in Poland using this company: https://www.testdna.pl/
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Different Types of DNA Tests You Can Do In Poland
There are quite a few different types of DNA tests in Poland, including:
- Prognostic
- Prenatal
- Paternity tests
Prognostic tests look for changes in your DNA that might mean you’re more likely to get a certain disease in the future, like a cancerous tumor. Knowing about a harmful mutation in your DNA can help you take steps to lower your risk of getting sick.
If your family has a history of cancer linked to a harmful genetic mutation, there’s a 50% chance you could pass it on to your kids. That’s why cancer prognostic testing can be so helpful.
- You may also like to read: Why is Poland’s Fertility Rate Lower Than Its Neighbors?
The DNA Test Procedure
Usually, a saliva or blood sample is all you need for a DNA test in Poland. It’s then analyzed using a bunch of cool science techniques. Since your DNA stays the same all your life, you only need to take this test once.
The cool part is, you can even do a DNA test at home. All you need is a special kit with cotton swabs and test tubes, then you send your sample to a lab.
The Purpose of a DNA Test
DNA, short for deoxyribonucleic acid, is an organic chemical compound that’s pretty much our body’s instruction manual. It decides how we look (like our hair and skin color) and how likely we are to get certain diseases.
This is where DNA tests come into play. These tests can find changes or mutations that affect our health. A mutation in your DNA might mean you’re more likely to get a certain disease, like a cancerous tumor, in the future or increase the risk of having a child with a health condition. DNA tests are super reliable (they’re more than 99% accurate!), which is why they’re used so often to prevent and diagnose various diseases.
Diving into Prenatal DNA Tests
Prenatal tests are another type of DNA test. These tests check on the health of a baby still in the womb. They can be done pretty early in pregnancy and can find out if the baby has any abnormalities. If a problem is found, doctors can plan how to care for the baby during the rest of the pregnancy, delivery, and after birth. Some fetal abnormalities can even be treated while the baby is still in the womb.
The Scoop on Paternity DNA Tests
A paternity DNA test can exclude paternity with 100% certainty and confirm it with a chance as high as 0.999999999 based on the results of the DNA test. If you’re dealing with a legal case, an authorized profesional has to take the sample and there has to be an official report.
What’s a Paternity Test?
A paternity test is a way to figure out who’s related to whom by comparing people’s genetic profiles. DNA testing is the most effective and commonly used method for genetic identification. It relies on DNA, the unique genetic code that parents pass on to their kids. DNA paternity tests examine several (16-24) genetic markers from different parts of the genome.
When Should You Get a Test?
You might want to get a DNA paternity test if you’re unsure about who a child’s biological father is. The child’s legal guardians have to agree to the test. If they don’t, a court or prosecutor can order it. This is often the case when someone doesn’t want to acknowledge a child or pay child support, or in inheritance disputes.
If a court orders a DNA test, the child’s mother has to be there during the test. This isn’t necessary if the test is done privately. For court-ordered paternity tests, an authorized professional collects the sample in front of witneses. The whole process is recorded, and everyone involved has to show their ID.
How Do You Establish Paternity in Poland?
You can use swabs from the inside of the cheek, blood samples, or microtrace samples for DNA tests. Other biological samples from the child, like fingernails, can be used instead of blood. For forensic purposes, samples are taken from three people – the child, the mother, and the alleged father. For private tests, you only need samples from the alleged father and the child. After the samples are collected, they’re sent to a lab to analyze the genetic code.
Can You Do a Paternity Test Before the Baby is Born?
Sometimes, people do a paternity test during pregnancy. The sample can be collected during invasive prenatal testing. These invasive tests carry the risk of complications, including miscarriage, and are only done when necessary. A safer way to do a paternity test during pregnancy is with a blood test from the mother. This blood might contain fetal cells, making the test possible. This method doesn’t put the mother or fetus at risk. A blood test can be done as early as the 9th or 10th week of pregnancy. Then, a sample of genetic material is collected from the alleged father, usually with a cheek swab.
How Do They Compare DNA?
Genetic markers are nucleotide sequences that are highly unique and variable, or polymorphic. These markers can show the genetic diversity of a population. A genetic profile made up of enough markers becomes unique to a person. A child gets half its genetic material from its mother and half from its father.
To figure out paternity, sets of autosomal satellite loci, or tandem repeats, are used. By comparing the genetic profiles of two people, it’s possible to figure out which parts of the alleles of the profiles are common due to origin – IBD (Identity-by-descent – this is how the occurrence of identical alleles in two people is defined, when their similarity results from consanguinity).
This can help determine the degree of kinship between these people: the number of common and different alleles of genetic markers within the examined panel in the material from the examined people determines the confirmation or exclusion of paternity or kinship. Based on the frequency of individual alleles in the population, kinship can be expressed in a numerical value.
How Much Does a Paternity Test Cost in Poland?
If you need to do a paternity test, the price varies depending on the lab. But, remember, the price doesn’t affect the quality of the test. You can tell how good a lab is by checking its accreditation certificate for the tests it does.
These tests can confirm paternity with a probability higher than 99.99% (in other words, pretty much certainty), and exclude paternity 100%. The price, how to prepare for the test, and how to get the results (in person, by mail, or by email) are all worked out discreetly.
The cost of a paternity test also depends on whether a court orders it or you do it privately. It usually costs between PLN 500 and PLN 2,000. The difference in cost might be due to having to follow specific procedures and provide an additional opinion. Some labs let you pay for a paternity test in installments.
When Will You Get the Results?
You’ll usually get paternity test results after about 6-7 business days. Some labs might give you the results faster, but they might charge more. If you need a paternity test, you can contact your nearest DIAGNOSTYKA branch.
References:
- https://www.medonet.pl/ciaza-i-dziecko,test-for-determination-of-paternity-how-how-is-and-how-much-costs-,artykul,53931704.html
- https://diag.pl/sklep/badania/test-na-ojcostwo-i-pokrewienstwo-24-markery-genetyczne-2-osoby-2-x-wipe/
- https://igs.org.pl/oferta/ustalenie-ojcostwa/
