I’m thinking about doing a DNA test. What is best?
People decide to do DNA testing for a number of reasons. The following are some of the most common ones:
- What is my ethnicity?
This is one of the most common reasons people initially do DNA testing and it is one of the aspects most actively promoted by testing services. However, it is also one of the most misunderstood. Testers frequently find surprising and sometimes disturbing results. The same test can also produce differing results from testing service to testing service. It can all be very confusing. We can help decipher those results and provide as better understand of what they really mean.
- Who were my parents?
Many adoptees become curious about their biological parents. Gaining access to closed adoption records can be challenging and varies substantially from state to state and even city to city. DNA testing is often the best way to discover unknown parentage. It is important to remember though that DNA testing alone will almost never identify a parent or relative. It almost always takes the combination of DNA testing and genealogical research to answer these questions.
- Do I have potential health problems?
Caution needs to be taken when it comes to this type of DNA testing. One should always consult a medical professional about testing for specific genetic health traits. The type of health information you get from genealogical testing services is general in nature. Some aspects of your DNA results can be compared to studies that have been done regarding certain traits associated with genetic characteristics. These studies are frequently contradictory and should not be taken as a clear indication that one has or will get a medical condition. Such tests are certainly interesting and may stimulate questions you might ask your healthcare provider, but interpretation of how those results apply to your health needs to come from a medical professional.
There are four different categories of DNA testing that are used for genealogical purposes. They are autosomal tests (at-DNA), X-DNA (frequently included with at-DNA tests), Y-DNA tests, and mitochondrial tests (mt-DNA). Each of these kinds of tests provide different types of information and they are used in different ways. For more information on this, click here.
If you have a genealogical question, we can advise you on which tests (if any) would be helpful. On the other hand, if you have taken a DNA test and would just like help interpreting those results, click here.
