DNA Testing Picks

Reasons for DNA Testing

People decide to sign up for DNA testing for a variety of reasons. The two primary incentives are for genealogy and health screening purposes. Oftentimes, you can find out about both topics. Here’s what you can find out for each one to get an idea of realistic expectations.

When used for genealogy, DNA testing can help determine ancestral relationships. It’s also possible to estimate your ethnic background, although you might receive different results from each company. Many companies match you with relatives within their database, so you may find immediate family or cousins of varying degrees. Adding your information to the database helps grow your family tree so as more people take the DNA test, you may be connected with more matches in the future. You can also use this information to build out your family tree of ancestors.

In addition to genealogical pursuits, DNA tests may also be used for health screening purposes. You can then find the risk potential for certain diseases based on your genetics. Using this information, health-focused DNA tests can predict your chance of developing diseases such as the following:

• Breast cancer
• Parkinson’s disease
• Celiac disease
• Alzheimer’s disease

While some companies require a doctor’s order to get certain tests, others allow consumers to order their own health screening tests.

How DNA Testing Works

There are a few different ways a DNA testing company can analyze your samples. The most common method is autosomal testing because both men and women can take this test and see results from both their maternal and paternal lines. It’s also possible to determine ethnicity backgrounds using this method.

Y-DNA testing is designed to trace male lines through the y-chromosome. Since Y chromosomes are only passed from father to son, testers won’t be able to view any female ancestors, or male ancestors through the maternal line.

While mitochondrial DNA is passed through maternal lines, this type is passed to all children, both males and females. So DNA can be taken by anyone, but they’ll only see results from their maternal line of ancestors.

Before choosing your DNA testing kit, confirm which type of testing is used to make sure it’ll work based on your gender.

Don’t assume that all popular DNA testing kits are the same. Review each process carefully to make sure you get the results you’re looking for.

Once you receive your kit, you typically supply a sample of saliva and send it off to a lab for analysis. You’ll then receive results within a few weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

by Lauren Ward

Personal Finance Writer

Lauren Ward is a personal finance writer with nearly ten years of experience covering topics like loans, credit, and real estate. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.