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Anyone done that DNA testing thingy that is popular now? You can find out your true heritage and find family members you didn't know you had?

Faust76 · 46-50, M
In the USA you got https://www.23andme.com/ for $199, no doctor needed. However, if you're given to anxiety and hypochondria, you might want to consider whether you need this kind of provisional information. They presently report carrier status for 35+ conditions (Generally speaking, if both parents have the risk-allele, then children have 25% chance of having the condition; typically they're rare, but in some cases it can be worth knowing). The FDA just this week approved 23andMe to provide 10 "health reports" which are things like Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and Hereditary Thrombophilia which depend on both genetic and non-genetic factors, such as lifestyle. 23andMe includes currently the best heritage analysis, and a decent genetic relatives matching.

Then there is Veritas Genetics https://www.veritasgenetics.com/mygenome who do whole genome sequence for $999 (Again, in USA). This is currently the best genetic test one can get, more or less, however they're offering clinical-only without heritage or genetic relatives.

If you interest is primarily on finding genetic relatives, you could do worse than the AncestryDNA test https://www.ancestry.com/dna/ which is $99 in USA with frequent sales prices. To find genetic relatives, those relatives must have tested too, and AncestryDNA currently sports the single biggest database of people who have tested for genetic relatives. They do not provide health interpretation, though the adventurous can get some information from third party services, such as Promethease https://promethease.com/

There are a few other options such as FTDNA and Genos, but those three probably cover most needs.
Peaches · F
@Fernie: Funny how we have similar stories isn't it...could you be another long lost [b]sister?!🤗👍🏽💓[/b]
Fernie · F
@Peaches: I'll admit...I had a quick fantasy of that being the case...what a great story that would be to tell and bore the hell out of anyone who'd listen
Peaches · F
@Fernie: Well I think it would be awesome and very far from boring!😉👌🏼
Peaches · F
I wanted to, but my computer said it was an unsafe website so I didn't continue. I found a half sister through face book who is right here in Oregon where I live?! She's only about 130 miles away. Going to meet up with her in a month or so.😊⭐
Peaches · F
@Fernie: I've discovered 3! 😮⭐👍🏼
Fernie · F
@Peaches: GEEZ! What the hell were they up to back then?
Peaches · F
@Fernie: My father never told them about me, we always knew about them. They lived in Arizona and he never thought I'd get the money to go out there. I did a surprise visit when I was 19 years old. The one sister that is now in Oregon was only 14 years old at the time, she had a twin brother. Then there are 2 other sisters. My dad is blonde and they are all redheads, they were all shocked at how much I looked like him. It was an awkward visit, my older cousin took me there because I had an aunt (his mother) he was driving out to Arizona to pick up, he left me at my dad's house for a couple of days. [b]SURPRISE!!!😳[/b]
cherokeepatti · 61-69, F
Have read that you can use 3 different companies to have that done and compare the results and they'll each be different, so how reliable are these tests? A lot of money and then you're not really sure if they are correct. Kind of like going to the doctor for a diagnosis and 88% of the time when you go for a second opinion you get a different diagnosis.
Faust76 · 46-50, M
And to answer the simpler, implied bit on this response... The autosomal DNA microarrays used by 23andMe, AncestryDNA and FTDNA (among others) have a reproducibility of >99.99%. This is confirmed and frequently re-tested. They test for up to a million variants (Somewhat less these days, but let's go by round numbers), which does mean that they can get up to 100 variants wrong. This is actually a big deal if you're doing health information because one of those 100 errors could be a harmful variant, causing a false positive. But that's the worst case, and most of the variants have no known function, and don't affect DNA-relatives or ancestry determination.

Myself or my first degree relatives have done 23andMe, FTDNA, Genes for Good, full Y-chromosome sequence, full mtDNA sequence and exome sequence (with different companies), and they're all in good agreement, as expected. This is of course anecdotal, but on the other hand for companies like 23andMe/AncestryDNA/FTDNA whose major business is DNA-relatives, if they somehow missed even one known relative, or indicated close relatives incorrectly, you'd hear about it somewhere else than a social media clickbait video. (In fact this has happened about a decade ago, when 23andMe's lab loaded a sample tray into analysis machine wrong way around and analysis were assigned to wrong samples; it was quickly detected, corrected and prevented from happening again, but not without making prime-time news and industry publications).
Fernie · F
@Faust76: what language are you speaking?
Faust76 · 46-50, M
@Fernie: I speak geek, mostly.
twistermind · 51-55, F
I know for sure that I have good gens. Lol!
Is it this test that tell you about your possible deseases?
I guess it must be cost a fortune. Do you know it?
Peaches · F
@Fernie: I'm just talking about that commercial that comes on TV all the time. Ancestery or something like that?! Just because I went to college don't mean I can spell?!!😆🤣
Fernie · F
@Peaches: I can never spell that word correctly...and I still can't get the "i before e" thing and I'm 300 years old. Yeah, that's the one I was referring to...those offers are all over the place now...80 bucks and up. I'm going with Ancest...anseste....An...the one you mentioned
Peaches · F
@Fernie: I'd love to do it too!🙂👍🏼💓
SW-User
I did it. I did he one based on the Y chromosome.

I learned a lot but it didn't help find ancestors.
Yes. I did it last year. Lots of surprises; and this year I've begun receiving emails from possible family members on both sides.
Peaches · F
@Fernie: I wouldn't care, I'd just like to know!😉🍀
Fernie · F
@Peaches: Me too
Peaches · F
@Fernie: 👯⭐👍🏼
mercedes810 · 31-35, F
No but my mom does research online, in scanned church books and then she tells me about it. Think she checked my dads heritage too, even though it's slightly more difficult because his dad 'disappeared' from the registration records for some years.
Fernie · F
It kind of fascinates me....they charge a fortune for it....I should just research like your Mom does
mercedes810 · 31-35, F
@Fernie: Sometimes it's kind of creepy, but our family have been living here for ages so I should be prepared to be related to most hehe - sometimes it feels like we are.
Heartlander · 80-89, M
I recently gifted 23 and me kits for the kids. Interesting results. Some unexpected. Now it's my and my wife's turn.

I have a romantic interpretation to my ancestral line. Lots was happening in Europe as some of my ancestors departed (or were they chased?) from Europe in the 17th century.
Goralski · 51-55, M
Dont need no DNA
SW-User
No, I want to but its probably nothing surprising.
Fernie · F
some of us have zero information about our relatives/ancestors/prominent diseases in the family. It's different for everyone I know
Cindy · F
no but as soon as I get some extra money I am
Virgo79 · 61-69, M
Lol I'll pass😐
revenant · F
i have not, it is too fuzzy.

 
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