What You Need to Know Before Buying a Home DNA Test

DNA testing plays a pivotal role in helping you trace your ancestry or other distant relatives you do not even know to exist. DNA tests also help in solving specific health issues that are hereditary. The physicians need to understand if the problem is common among your family lineage.

DNA testing is also ideal in case of doubt about the paternity of the offspring. For example, genealogy DNA test is useful if you want to prove the authenticity of your biological father in particular. Tracing the maternal link of the child is not that complicated, and tests may not be necessary.

There are different types of DNA tests, and you need to know certain things before buying a home DNA test kit. You need to be clear about what you want to find out, for instance, tracing your ancestry of investigating health issues that may be hereditary. DNA test kits also vary so you should even understand their functions.

Ordering a Home DNA Test Kit

The level of accuracy of an ancestry DNA test depends on the information in the database of the service providers. If any of your relatives once tested for ancestry check, you are likely to connect with them when you go for testing. You need to know that the level of accuracy of the results you get depend on previous DNA tests of individuals that may have a connection with you.

The other crucial thing that you should know pertains to the aspect of privacy issues. When you submit your sample for DNA testing, your information is stored in the service provider’s database and can also be used by other people conducting their DNA tests, so you need to make an informed decision.

There are many forms of DNA testing services, and they offer different test kits that you can use at home for sample collection. Some kits come in the form of a swab or test tube you use to collect the sample of saliva that goes for testing at the specialist labs. Other packages are specifically for the collection of blood sample from your finger.

Types Of Different DNA Tests

There are different types of DNA testing, and you need to know the actual reason for a DNA test. Other services are appropriate for multiple tests, but you need to consider their level of accuracy as well as factors like cost.

23andMe

23andMe is the best DNA testing service for health screening of certain diseases that are believed to be hereditary. There are specific health risks that have genetic links, and these can help the physicians to diagnose the infection quickly. Some diseases like cancer, diabetes as well as asthma are hereditary, and they have strong links with specific lineages.

There are chances that the parents will pass the disease to their offspring and the doctors need this history for easier diagnosis of other diseases. However, you should know that this method is not a straightforward way of diagnosing diseases. It may cause unnecessary stress when you do not have the disease but traces of your family heredity.

23anMe provides all tests in one that includes ancestry testing and health screening. Ancestry testing gives you the opportunity to trace your maternal and paternal relatives. It has more than two million users in its database, and it covers different parts of the globe. You can determine your origins like where your ancestors came from. The price starts from $69 to $169.

Family Tree DNA

FTD looks at the family tree and ancestry, and it has 1,5 million users. The service provides you with vital information like patrilineal and matrilineal ancestors dating back to about four generations. It also helps you to identify your relatives in distant places some you do not even think exist. You can use the data for other services like drawing a family tree, and the service costs $79.

Ancestry

Ancestry is rich in determining your family history particularly the origins of your ancestors. The service costs $79, and it can help you unearth history about your ancestors dating back to about 1,000 years back. You can build an extensive family tree that provides you with links from relatives located in different parts across the globe.

Helix

Helix is a new platform where users can send their saliva samples for testing of more than 22, 000 genes. The DNA tests focus on the genetic marker of different health conditions like physical fitness and male baldness.

Vinome which works with Helix is another DNA test that you can use to determine your wine preference. This test is specifically for entertainment purposes, but it does not prevent you from enjoying particular types of wines. Users of the service can order their preferred choices of wine using the DNA-determined tastes.

National Geographic Geno 2.0

If you want to trace your ancestry, you can also use National Geographic 2.0. It has 830, 000 users. The test can help you to discover your ancestors who even migrated some 200, 000 years back. It enables you to connect with people who share similar parts of your DNA. Its price is about $100, and it uses a sample of saliva.

How Do You Determine Your Ancestry

When you collect the sample for the DNA test, it goes to the lab where more than 22, 000 genes are tested. The process usually takes a few weeks, and when the results are ready, you are notified to check them online.

You get a password that you use to access the details, and there are prompts that you should follow to interpret the results. You can also use the data from your results to draw a family tree and create links using dots from different parts of the globe.

DNA tests play pivotal roles in our lives since they are capable of determining who we are and our origins. As long as there are DNA test samples of distant relatives in the providers’ database, you can trace your family lineage to your original roots.

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