23andme....anyone has done it? I've 'fallen' for it and ordered it LOL

[nobodysdriving]

Has anyone done the 23andme 'genotyping' thing?

23andme.com/

I think it was RedApple who originally gave me the link many months ago in one of my blogs....well, I kept going back to it and now at its cheapest price I thought I'd have a go at it and ordered 2 kits, one for myself and one for my son

Some people may feel it is a 'waste of money/time', some 'may' be worried about what they can find, some may find it 'fun' etc

I think for the most of it I will find it 'fun' and for a little bit I hope it will be helpful as it tells you if you are likely to have a reduced or heightened response to certain drugs for example (not all though) and one has to take the 'increase risks' with a pinch of salt...I mean one can be high risk for diabetes but does not mean you will develop it, or you may be low risk so 'sit back' and eat donuts and then develop it HAHAHAHAHA

I mean....what our genes say is also highly influenced by what we do with our bodies and life right?

Still, I think I'll have some fun with it, our kits arrive on Monday via DHL and then I'll send them back the next day, it takes up to 6 weeks for the results

[wildgoose]

Please do let us know results. Good luck!

[Clarebear]

That sounds a bit scary I am adopted and don't know any medical history so perhaps this would be a good idea for me too...

Yes please let us know how it goes. xx

[nobodysdriving in reply to Clarebear]

dear clarebear....in your case it could help you find relatives....whether you want to find them it's another story...

it can tell you also of your '5th cousins' and stuff like that! (5th cousin means you share the same great-great-great-great grandparents!!!)

and yes it can shed light on some risks or whether if you are a 'carrier' for any conditions and also some drug sensitivities

[Numberone1 in reply to Clarebear]

Hi Clarebear. Ive done this test purely because I have an American Great Grandfather that was kept hidden under the carpet. Im hoping I'll find something out. Have you done the test? My Sister is adopted but doesn't want to know anything about her background which I think is a little "closed mind" regarding health records.

[RedApple Administrator]

Yes NBD, it was me that alerted you to 23andMe And yes, I have 'done it' too! I think it's totally amazing what they can tell from a bit of your spit in a tube

[hlinbaker]

Yes, I've done it and found it very helpful and accurate down to freckles and red hair! It really is amazing what secrets we carry in our DNA

Also adopted and re-connected with many relatives and building an authentic family tree too. not to mention my natural mother kindly sharing information about thyroid problems within the family which has helped me when visiting the endo recently and finally receiving treatment

[Numberone1]

How does it help you find natural parents? I'm fascinated.

[nobodysdriving in reply to Numberone1]

I think it can only help you if any of your relatives also did it and they have their dna too.....however they can say how much 'british/african/russian/etc' there is in you

[hlinbaker]

As well as the genotyping and disease risk/drug reaction indicators they have a relative finder section where the database is growing fast. And with the latest autosomal DNA testing this means being matched with relatives on both male and female lines (whereas before females were only able to track their maternal line) Genetic genealogy is the way forward

Fascinating stuff indeed

[Woochan]

Fascinating. I've always wondered what my ancestry is because I look Scandinavian, but my second name is north African, so I'm obviously a bit of a mixture. Wish I could justify spending the money to find out, but I'm on a tight budget at the moment.