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Experiences with genetic testing "DNA kits"?


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Experiences with genetic testing "DNA kits"?
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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2019-07-27, 11:33

Has anyone here had recent experience with the genetic testing kits available on the market from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and similar companies?

For most of my adult life, I've been curious about my ancestry but never really done anything about it. As far as I can tell, I'm just some "white dude" mutt of who-knows-what European regions whose ancestors moved to America and made babies. My father was into genealogy research 20-some years ago and I think he compiled information from five or six generations back, but I never got a copy of his findings. It's never really bothered me too much not knowing, but in recent years my wife has also been curious about her own heritage.

Then there's the genetic disease warning signs aspect of these kits' reports. Over the last year, I've had some scares with the big C and have been seeing a hematologist/oncologist every few months as they try different things with my blood. Of course his first questions were about my ancestry too. "Do you have any Egyptian heritage?" was one of his specific questions based on some early indicators. Umm, maybe? I've always had a kind of "racial blindness" (for lack of a better term??) with not being able to guess someone's ethnicity by looking at them, and I can't guess for shit what part of the world my own facial features or skin and hair patterns could have come from.

Every once in a while I take a few minutes to peruse the Internet for reviews of these off-the-shelf genetic testing kits. On one hand, I do have that twinge of Orwellian paranoia about these big companies owning and selling my genetic information and using that against me in the future when I need a change of insurance or particular treatment. In these United States, the health care industry is a big fucking slimy monster, and I'm already spending a growing amount of my income as I approach 40. I do not trust product-selling corporations in the health care industry in this country at all. On the other hand, the system here is such a spiraling-out-of-control disaster anyway that this one thing shouldn't really make any difference for me in the long run. If things get too bad, I could always move to or visit a civilized country for treatment.

So, what are the good options? Has anyone here used these services before? Or even better, have you used different service levels or products from competing companies to compare?

If I do buy, I'll probably be getting kits for both me and my wife, and we'll be getting the more expensive options that have the extended results about disease risk factors. I'll probably also wait for later in the year because I seem to remember retailers like Target and Amazon having winter holiday sales in years past.

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PB PM
Sneaky Punk
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
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2019-07-27, 13:06

Personally I'd stay clear of any of those DNA tests, as it's been shown that each one will typically give you different results due to how they bias their tests (sorry don't recall the technical details behind this).

Also keep in mind that police and other services and force these companies to give up your DNA to cross check it against criminal cases. One man was recently put behind bars in Washington State because he was linked to a murder in the 1980's after police checked DNA results from several of those services. Sure it's fine if you've never done anything, but who knows what it could drag you into if results are messed up in testing. I'm most concerned about what the companies do with the DNA after, they could sell it to anyone under their terms of service.
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Ebby
Subdued and Medicated
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Over Yander
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2019-07-28, 12:57

I'll also chime in results of genetic disease tests were, in the past, considered preexisting conditions for insurance purposes. My research is pretty old now so I don't know if that has changed since then.

I've only done tests specifically requested by my or a family members doctors.

My SO used 23andMe. She and her mom found new family which is neat.

^^ One more quality post from the desk of Ebby. ^^
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