Home Grandparent DNA Test With 34/46-Marker Analysis

Our 46-marker test provides a more robust analysis for indirect relationship testing. By analyzing more markers than other tests, it provides stronger statistical support for or against a biological paternal relationship, even when only one grandparent and the child are available for testing. Because grandparent DNA testing is an indirect relationship test, the results are not usually as definitive as a direct paternity test and may sometimes be inconclusive. Therefore analyzing 46 markers may help improve conclusiveness.

Grandparent DNA tests can vary in the number of markers analyzed (often 20–22). In some cases, lower marker counts may reduce the statistical strength of the conclusion, especially when fewer relatives are available for testing. Analyzing more markers can help improve result confidence in these more complex cases.

While the test can be done with only one grandparent and child, the child’s mother or both paternal grandparents can be tested if they are available. Each person inherits half of their DNA from their mother and half from their father. When the child’s mother participates in the analysis, she is compared to her child and the DNA inherited from that parent is eliminated from the child’s genetic profile. This helps the laboratory better evaluate the paternal contribution to the child’s DNA profile. If both alleged grandparents participate, their combined profiles can provide stronger statistical support in reconstructing the expected paternal genetic contribution.

Additionally, if both testing parties are male, as in the case of a presumed paternal grandfather and grandson, the Y-STR male lineage test can provide a more direct evaluation of whether the test participants share a common paternal line.

Important Limitations to Understand

Grandparent DNA testing is not the same as direct paternity testing. Because it is an indirect relationship test, some cases are more statistically complex than others. When only one grandparent is available, or when the child’s mother does not participate, results may be less conclusive than in a direct father-child comparison. Therefore a 46 marker test may provide a more scientifically robust answer.

What Will The Grandparent Test Results Tell Me?

Grandparent DNA test results include probability percentages and likelihood ratios that can sometimes be somewhat confusing without proper context.

To help you better understand what your grandparent test results mean — including how conclusions are reached, what all the different number ranges indicate, and when the grandparent test results may be considered inconclusive — our team created a free, downloadable, and easy-to-read guide.

This free guide walks through a real grandparent DNA test report and explains what the numbers and ratios mean in plain easy language.