The kit came directly to me in the mail and included a vial, a specimen bag, and easy to follow directions. I had to first go online to the company's page and register the barcode attached to my vial. Then I had to spit into the vial, seal it, shake it up with whatever secret liquid was in it, enclose it into the bag, and mail it off. Results normally take 8 to 12 weeks, but mine were back within a week of receiving my spit at the lab. It must have been a slow time of the year.
I started first with the ancestry report. I learned that I am 99.9% of European ancestry, and when I delved further into that category I discovered that the majority of my percent, 77.7%, is from British/Irish descent. I knew my speaking in a British accent was normal!
The other reports posted were carrier status reports, wellness reports, and traits reports. In the carrier report it gives information of variants of 36 different disorders. While the the recipient might not be affected it can tell him/her about potential health risks that can be passed down to his/her children. Luckily, for me and for my children I had zero variants in all 36 disorders. That was a relief, especially after reading through the disorders,
In the wellness report I learned I was more likely to consume caffeine, 37% more mg of caffeine more per day than average. Reading further I discovered that the evil source of most caffeine is coffee, and that just one cup a day can serve a 100 mg of caffeine in a sitting. I never even use to drink coffee. I got my caffeine from a soda. Coffee didn't enter my life until after Darcy was born and Kelly introduced me to flavored creamer. I like a little coffee with my creamer. Apparently my DNA had a part in my learning to drink it.
I also found out that I'm not predisposed to sprint, am more likely to move during sleep, am lactose tolerant, and most likely will not flush red in the face while drinking alcohol. All of this was said, of course, using words like alpha actinin 3 protein and PLM's. It's written easily enough though for simpletons like myself, and no, that wasn't something in the report. I will admit to being shocked by the non sprinter gene, however.
In the trait report I learned about my facial features, hair, skin, physical characteristics, physical responses and taste and smell. Freckles are common in my family, as is the ability to detect asparagus odor. That one was not a surprise. I've been telling people that's why I don't eat the stringy, green vegetable for years.
The best thing about the test was being compared to all of the other people who have spit into the test tube and registered on the site. A report is generated and names pop up telling the percent of matching DNA and the likelihood of the relation to one another. If each party agrees, they can reach out to and communicate. I've already had one request from someone that I've figured out comes from my father's side of the family. I only wish now that I had my parents' samples to give this company.
Part of registering is a complimentary account with My Heritage, and I spent all of Saturday working on my family tree. I had done some of this on another site previously, but in going through old bins I found a complete file of my dad's full of genealogy reports he had worked on in the 90's and so I expounded. It was a lot of work, but I've put together family lines that I just took for granted, but never truly knew the true origin. Now I know. I also think it will help when I go through more old pictures, and it gives me a place to post them.
If your parents are still alive, look into giving this as a gift. Right now they are offering a percent off for Father's Day. Oh, and if you are interested, let me know. If I refer someone, I get a $20 Amazon gift card. Don't judge me for soliciting. It's in my DNA.
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