heteropaternal superfecundation AGAIN: Fertile Myrtle and two baby daddies

Another instance of heteropaternal superfecundation has occurred in the world. Here's the story from a newspaper in Turkey.  So what is it? Here's an oversimplified explanation: a very fertile woman releases two eggs, and each egg is fertilized by the sperm of a different man.

1. hetero = different
2. paternal = father
3. super = power
4. fecundation = ability to have children

The shocking part is this: the woman must have intercourse with the different men in a very small time frame. This is the fourth such story I've come across in the last two years. Most recently we learned of a mom in Dallas, TX whose sons have different fathers. Here's a story about those twins.  

What are the odds? Scientist say that the odds are a million to one. There are currently about 7 billion people on earth. Which means that there could be 7,000 sets of twins out there who have different fathers. This is possible, but not probable. Statistics remind us to take into account how likely it is that a women is having intercourse with more than one man during the very small window of time that she will get pregnant. Most women probably aren't.

The sudden increase in the number of these cases could mean that scientists are wrong, and the odds are actually much better than a million to one. It could also mean that women are becoming much more promiscuous. No matter what the cause, the moral of the story is clear. If you have twins, or could possibly be the father of twins, the only way to know for sure who the father is of BOTH is to test them both. 

An added bonus of having both twins tested? You'll know for sure if they are identical. Doctor's use an inspection of the placenta(s) to determine if twins are identical or not. Quite often during multiple births the placenta(s) are damaged making it difficult to be sure. A DNA test gives 100% certainty. 

Here's a set of famous twins: Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen

Secret DNA Testing: Annie's Mailbox. Salt Lake City UT.

I just happened to stumble across this article today. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705361216/Annies-Mailbox-Forgo-the-paternity-test-and-love-your-daughter.html. First up, I'm going to ignore the fact that this article is from a newspaper in Salt Lake City. I don't think that the prominent religious attitude has anything to do with the question or the answer. But then again, 4 kids? Here's proof that people in Utah have more kids. There, I feel better, found some solid data. Back to the point at hand. 
The article is a 'Dear Annie'. Here's the story: A man has 4 grown kids. His wife is dead and he's questioning if he's really the father of daughter number 2. He's wondering if there's any way to do a 'secret DNA test.' Annie answers him with the following: 

There are ways to get specimens, but we are asking you not to do this. We urge you to convince yourself she is yours and believe it with all your heart, because in the most important sense, it is true.

Seriously? What century are we in? 

First off, of course there are ways of doing a DNA test without the parties knowing. Recently a woman contacted us wanting to test her teenage son and her husband, without either of them knowing. After 15 years she needed to know if her husband was really the father. But before she broke the news to either of them she felt it was best if she knew the truth. She sent her son's toothbrush and her husband's cigarette butt. After comparing the two profiles from those secret items, sadly the result was an exclusion. There was a 0% probability of those 2 items being from a biological father and son. 

I'm not going to deny that Annie is right about the daughter. In the most important sense this man is the father. But it's eating at him so much that he writes into a newspaper seeking answers? He deserves to know the truth. My advice to Annie is to help the man find the answer to his question, then let the psychoanalysis begin. Until then Annie should stick to baking cookies for her undoubtedly large family. 

Here's Annie and family's State Dress Code. Just for kicks. 

SheCheated? HeCheated? Do you have DNA Proof?

Tiger Woods and his wife, Elin, are in the news again. She's staying to work on the marriage. For the kids. More here.  The 'news' of their marriage and the infidelity probably won't stop anytime soon. Why? Because cheating is a big deal. Just how many people cheat is a statistic that's hard to pin down but it's about equal. Men 50%; Women 50%. The internet is full of staggering statistics on cheating. Here are  a couple of sites for the ladies:
http://www.womansavers.com/infidelity-statistics.asp
http://womensissues.about.com/u/ua/malefemaleattitudes/HeCheatedOnMeReaderResponses.htm

And for the guys:
http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/infidelitystats.html
http://www.askmen.com/dating/heidi_200/222_dating_girl.html

Each of these websites gives tips, directions, how-tos etc. etc. on how to catch a cheater. Elin Nordegren didn't have to follow any of these instructions and neither should you. Cheating can easily be PROVEN via DNA, semen screening or a combination of both. And it should be. You shouldn't rely on a book or website, or your instincts. 
Confronting your spouse or boyfriend/ girlfriend without real proof is not a good idea. Each of these websites reads like a recipe... Is he distant? Check. Is she staying late at work? Check. Won't answer the phone when you're around? Check. Unexplained credit card charges? Check. Recipe for Macaroni and Cheese: Noodles? Check. Milk? Check. Butter? Check. What happens if you don't boil those noodles and mix in the cheese? You won't exactly have an edible dish will you? 
It's the same idea with cheating check lists, websites and books. They don't work. Why? Because no matter how many ingredients you might have, without cooking they don't add up to anything. You need proof. DNA testing gives you that proof. 

The Thong Song leads to a Paternity Test, shocked?

Look around. Promiscuity is everywhere! So much so that we have an entire genre of music dedicated to it. I'm not going to be coy, Hip Hop is Sex and Sex is Hip Hop and Hip Hop is Sex and you get the point. Just to be sure I wasn't imagining this phenomenon I took a quick look at today's music charts at www.billboard.com. Here's a sampling of a few songs off the top 100. Sexy Chick, artist Akon. I Invented Sex, artist Drake. Baby by Me, artist 50 cent. The last one is by far my favorite, I feel it ties in very well with this article. 
The Thong Song was practically a cultural movement in 1999. It's lyrics chronicle a nasty fashion trend involving ladies panties. Wikipedia's definition of thong here. Those who remember the song and the artist can't forget his white hair and flashy gold jewelry. One fan in particular who will never forget Sisqo is Jamila Furid. Swedish Jamila claims that at the age of 14 she met Sisqo at a concert and the result is her now 10 year old son. Sisqo is of course denying the whole thing, claiming he was never in Sweden in 1999. Read Sisqo's response here.

We could dwell all day on the drama. What's more important though is that the courts in Sweden are ordering Sisqo to pay child support. Sisqo has never had contact with this child and has never participated in a paternity test. One might think... well that's uber liberal Sweden for you. But you should know, this kind of thing happens in the United States EVERYDAY. Each state has varying laws, but here are a few I find a bit crazy. Texas: It's illegal to divorce a woman while she's pregnant, even if the baby is not the husband's. Arizona: If you are married at the time of birth, you are the father. Since you are the father, you pay child support.  Want to dispute this? 1. Get a lawyer. 2. Get a legal paternity test.  Even then, it will be an uphill battle. At the time of this posting I'm not aware of any child support payment cases that have been overturned. As soon as you relinquish that first penny, you are obligated to pay child support for that child, for the rest of his or her life. It's not just. But it's the state of things today. Father's rights groups, Paternity Fraud groups and mobs of angry men are forming everywhere. 

Is my boyfriend or the sperm donor the father?

A lot of celebrity news has been circulating lately regarding sperm donors. Quite a few prominent hollywood couples have become parents thanks to donations. Melissa Etheridge famously received donor sperm from fellow musician David Crosby. Other celebutots' parentage remains a secret, think Michael Jackson's three kids. Melissa Etheridge fans click here!
The reasons that people choose to use sperm donors vary. Most people think that only lesbian couples and single women use sperm donors. Sometimes a man's plumbing doesn't work correctly and a couple has to rely on sperm donors to satisfy parentage. Other times a woman finds herself older, with a successful career but single with no marital prospects. As they say, the biological clock starts ticking and soon she finds herself yearning for a child. This scenario is so popular in modern culture that Jennifer Anniston is reportedly starring in a film with Jason Bateman called The Baster. IMDb lists the plot of the movie: An unmarried 40-year old woman turns to a turkey baster in order to become pregnant. The Baster movie info here.

But the title of this blog is... is my boyfriend or the sperm donor the father? A recent paternity case involved a prominent career woman, a prenatal paternity sample and a sperm donation. The woman was over the age of 35, so her doctor requested a routine prenatal genetic analysis. (Health professionals note that the chance of a child being born with a genetic abnormality increases when the mother is over the age of 35.) The doctor simply obtained a second prenatal sample and sent it to the laboratory for paternity testing. The sperm bank sent an identical sample to that used during her insemination and the samples were compared for paternity. The boyfriend was unaware of all of this. The woman had met him just months prior, and she had kept her insemination a secret. As the relationship progressed things between the woman and her boyfriend became serious. She was already pregnant but wondering how to explain it all to her boyfriend. Was the baby his? or had she conceived via insemination? Turns out the baby daddy was the sperm donor. We'll never know how she explained all of this to him, or even if she did. 
While this case is by no means frequent, it is destined to become so. Some sperm donors pay extra for 'special sperm.' I recently visited a website with an ad stating, Graduate Donor's Are Here! Find a donor that has his Master's or Doctorate. Another ad, Donor Look-A-Likes, Have you ever wondered if your favorite donor looks like someone famous? But the question is, what guarantee do you have that you get the right sperm? Who knows, you could be paying for the sperm of an Ivy League Brain Surgeon but getting sperm from a high school dropout working at Taco Bell. To ensure parents get what they pay for we'll see an increase in these tests. I wouldn't be surprised if sperm banks start offering the service. 
If you're interested in learning more about untraditional methods of becoming pregnant and the social implications, I highly suggest Remaking Eden by Lee Silver. 

How to Fake a Paternity Test: Buy an At Home Kit.

Once again a major public figure found thier way into the news this past week in the name of paternity. Former Senator John Edwards, who you may remember as a presidential candidate, finally admitted he was the father of the baby mothered by his mistress Reille Hunter. The story is causing quite a stir as allegations of intended paternity fraud by the father come to light. The admission comes because a former aide to Edwards is making bold claims in his upcoming book that Edwards asked him to claim the child was his. However, Edwards went even further and asked the aide to fake a paternity test, showing the child was not his. More on Edwards Paternity Scandal Here

Such behavior is not unheard of. Paternity testing has gone mainstream. One can now buy a test kit at most major drugstores. The question is, should you? The truth is no. For one thing you should never have to pay for a testing kit. Such supplies are included in the cost of all tests. Compare it to buying dinner at a restaurant. You wouldn't pay seperately for the cost of your plates and silverware to eat the food with would you? --iTest DNA provides free testing kits, remember to mention reading this blog when you call. Call 623-594-1605 for more information.--
Back to the point at hand, how to fake a paternity test. First let's look at how a private at home test, is handled. The laboratory receives a set of DNA samples provided by you and labeled with the names of the participants (child and father.) Those names are assigned to each DNA profile. The profiles from each sample are compared in the same way as a legal set of samples.
However, with a private test the laboratory has absolutely no way to verify their validity. For example, I could obtain a DNA sample from my best friend and label those samples my own. I could also obtain a sample from my father and send the two in. The DNA results would show that my father's and my profiles do not match. Voila, my dad is not my dad.
There are a lot of people out there that do this. For example, I was recently involved in a test where a man asked his new girlfriend to submit samples for him. The samples obviously did not match the child he had fathered with this old girlfriend. What's funny is that DNA testing using gender as a quality control. The samples that were sent from him showed that we were comparing two women for paternity. Many additional tests were run to be sure that our results were correct. In the end we asked that the man submit samples again, at no additional cost. Once again the man had his new girlfriend submit the samples. In the end the man was confronted and admitted his deceit.
What's truley sad is that I know there are people out there who believe results that are wrong. Moral of the story: If you're going to buy an at home test kit be sure you know WHO the samples come from.