1 in 25 Father's Isn't The REAL Father (Study Says They Don't Know)

[matcom]

<snip>

Around one in 25 dads could unknowingly be raising another man's child, according to new research.

The authors of the study based their findings on internationally published scientific research and conference abstracts from 1950 to 2004.

Rates of "paternal discrepancy" -- where a dad is not the biological father of his child -- range from less than 1 percent to as much as 30 percent.

It is generally thought that rates are below 10 percent; A rate of 4 percent means that one in 25 families are affected.

The implications are huge, say the authors, with the increasing reliance on DNA profiling and genetic testing, which could boost the rates of paternal discrepancy.

In the U.S., the rate more than doubled between 1991 and 2001 as testing increased.

The study appears in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

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