Establishing paternity is imperative, as it allows a child access to his or her parents\' social security and inheritance benefits, as well as provides medical history, which may provide insight to genetic diseases that the child may be at risk for because of the parent. Certain medical conditions, when detected early, may be treatable or even curable. This is why establishing paternity is crucial. Local Paternity Testing may be the solution to resolving the impending question of who fathered an already born or unborn child by compiling samples from the mother, father, and the child or children in question. Local Paternity Testing compares the DNA patterns of the parents to the child. Results from accredited Local Paternity Testing centers are honored in a court of law, and the percentage of accuracy is usually 99.99%. Local Paternity Testing may be completed in a laboratory or by a home DNA kit purchased at a drug store and ranges in cost from $30 to $3,000 dollars, depending on the state and the facility. Generally, health insurance does not cover Local Paternity Testing fees. Prenatal testing is more expensive than postnatal testing and many Local Paternity Testing centers offer payment plans, but will not release the results to the appropriate parties until full payment is received. Results are available within 7 days or less. Methods to establish paternity are done by blood test, buccal swab collection, as well as other sample collection, such as hair and tissue. Local Paternity Testing may also be completed during pregnancy by amniocentesis, which is performed in the second trimester, which is between week 14 and 20 of pregnancy. This procedure requires a specialist to insert a small needle through a pregnant woman\'s uterus through the abdomen. When extracted, the needle will contain a minimal amount of amniotic fluid, which is tested with samples from the prospective fathers. Side effects from this method of Local Paternity Testing are leaking amniotic fluid, vaginal bleeding, and mild to moderate camping.

Another prenatal Local Paternity Testing method is called Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS). This also entails a thin needle, which in this case, is interested from the vagina and into the cervix to extract Chorionic Villus. Chorionic villi are small pieces of tissue that are shaped like small fingers and are attached to the uterus walls. Both Chorionic Villus and the fetus have derived from the same fertilized egg, which means that the genetic makeup is the same. This test may be completed during the first and second trimesters, between weeks 10 and 13. Results of Local Paternity Testing are confidential and are mailed only to the recipients indicated on the appropriate forms. Local Paternity Testing kits are available for purchase at local drugstores; however, they will not be measurable in a court of law. The kits contain cotton swabs to collect saliva samples from the child, the father and mother. Swabs are placed into the mail and mailed to a laboratory and the results are mailed, fax, or emailed within five days of the lab receiving the samples.