msventoux
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 12, 2011 22:32:37 GMT -5
Posts: 3,037
|
Post by msventoux on Nov 22, 2013 1:36:32 GMT -5
Has anyone ever had their DNA tested? A cousin had her DNA tested via Ancestry and was excited about the results in terms of the genealogical aspect. I've been thinking of getting mine tested via the 23andMe DNA test. It appears to give results that are geared more towards the medical side of things and indicates whether you're at risk for certain diseases.
I'm just curious. No one in my family has made it past their 60's. A couple died younger due to accidents. Most have been very overweight and died from complications of heart/blood pressure issues, diabetes, etc. I'm not overweight and take decent care of my health. If I don't get taken out by an accident, I really don't have any idea what might be lurking in my medical future.
And to make this somewhat money related, both tests are around $100. Possibly a waste of money, but I've wasted money on more foolish things, I'm sure.
|
|
Gardening Grandma
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:39:46 GMT -5
Posts: 17,962
|
Post by Gardening Grandma on Nov 22, 2013 10:04:32 GMT -5
I've done it. I did it with both 23andme (when the cost was $300) and with anc.com. If you are doing it because you want to know what your health risks are due to your DNA, I recommend 23andme. If you are interested in the genealogy aspect, there are a number of places including Anc.com. Before doing it, do realize you may learn more than you had bargained for, so be prepared. I had it done because of the history of Alzheimers in my family and I wanted to know if I had the Apoe variant that is associated with Alzheimers (Apie4). It was pretty scary to look at the results, but I found out I was Apoe3!!! So my risk is the same as that of the general population.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 22, 2013 12:56:04 GMT -5
I figure things this way. Whatever genes I have, I can do absolutely nothing about. I can try to control what I can control, but knowing I have an increased risk for medical things really isn't going to change what I do right now anyway.
I might go in for genetic testing if I had a family history of breast or ovarian cancer and I could be medically proactive. Or I might if my family had the Huntington gene and I was looking to procreate. Otherwise, what else can you do?
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 18:31:34 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2013 12:59:09 GMT -5
I spent $80 on a DNA test for my mutt. I know a thing or two about wasting money!
|
|
Jaguar
Administrator
Fear does not stop death. It stops life.
Joined: Dec 20, 2011 6:07:45 GMT -5
Posts: 50,108
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IZlZ65.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Text Color: 290066
|
Post by Jaguar on Nov 22, 2013 14:19:43 GMT -5
I done it and found out I'm extremely rare. I done it for medical purposes not ancestry ones. Since then cause this was a few years ago now, they found one other person with this same genetic whatever.
I found it really interesting.
|
|
cronewitch
Junior Associate
I identify as a post-menopausal childless cat lady and I vote.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 21:44:20 GMT -5
Posts: 5,979
|
Post by cronewitch on Nov 22, 2013 16:49:48 GMT -5
My niece got tested when her daughter was born with Down Syndrome. She gave it to her so they tested more family like her parents because one uncle had a pregnant wife but it started with her. Turns out her son who was three then is a carrier. Now at 17 she says it is a great method of birth control him knowing he could have a child like his sister.
I am past child baring age but if younger I would want to know if I was likely to have a child with hemophilia since it runs in the family. I am glad they can tell now they couldn't when my cousin and his nephew were born, now my nephew just got a great niece, she could be a carrier.
|
|
HoneyBBQ
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 27, 2010 10:36:09 GMT -5
Posts: 5,395
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"3b444e"}
|
Post by HoneyBBQ on Nov 22, 2013 16:50:43 GMT -5
I want to figure out what my mutt doggies are, but I'm too cheap. I have lots of fine guesses, but I like scientific data.
|
|
Peace Of Mind
Senior Associate
[font color="#8f2520"]~ Drinks Well With Others ~[/font]
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 16:53:02 GMT -5
Posts: 15,554
Location: Paradise
|
Post by Peace Of Mind on Nov 22, 2013 17:26:25 GMT -5
The doctor at the hospital wrongly put on my mom's death certificate the cause of death as Ovarian Cancer instead of Uterine. My 1/2 aunt had survived breast cancer in her late 30's so with both of those situations my doctor wanted me to get the BRCA1 test done along with an ultrasound of my ovaries. I don't have the gene nor did anything show up in the ultra sound. It's nice knowing that. I'm not sure about the DNA testing. I would be curious about genetics but if something bad showed up medically that may stress me out. I'm a worrier for the most part and with my luck I'd get cancer from the stress and would have been fine had I not known!
|
|
kent
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 16:13:46 GMT -5
Posts: 3,594
|
Post by kent on Nov 22, 2013 19:36:21 GMT -5
Interesting thread that has me thinking. I only know 1/2 of my ancestry because my Mom was left on the doorstep of a Catholic church. I might just look into this. My Mom always wondered about her heritage and I'm a bit curious as well. Knowing how these threads "progress," go ahead and start in on me now vis-à-vis my heritage.
|
|
|
Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 22, 2013 20:04:33 GMT -5
I ran into a similar situation with my hip. I was once a proud owner of a perfect, Metal on metal hip....the one that is getting all the bad publicity in the news right now. When the news broke that there were problems with it, I argued with a lot of other people about whether or not I should get tested for metal levels. I consider genetic testing similar.
My theory with this is that I was currently not having problems with my hip and it was functioning perfectly. So if my metal levels tested high, what would I do? I was not about to have another surgery to remove a perfectly functioning joint because of a lab value. So just knowing that I had high metal levels was a piece of information that was essentially useless. Now, if I WAS having problems with the joint, then the metal levels would be one piece of the puzzle, but only one.
So 2 people on my hip group had their metal levels tested. One was having problems, and she high high metal levels and signs of problems in the imaging. She later had her hip replaced with a different prosthesis. Another person also got her metal levels tested and they were also high. But she's not having any problems and she now knows that she has an abnormal lab result that may or may not cause her problems in the future. She wishes she had never been tested now, because she said it's like a black cloud hanging over her. And every time she tweaks her hip, she immediately thinks she's got problems.
|
|
busymom
Distinguished Associate
Why is the rum always gone? Oh...that's why.
Joined: Dec 25, 2010 21:09:36 GMT -5
Posts: 29,227
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IPauJ5.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Name Color: 0D317F
Mini-Profile Text Color: 0D317F
|
Post by busymom on Nov 22, 2013 20:11:29 GMT -5
I spent $80 on a DNA test for my mutt. I know a thing or two about wasting money! LOL! I tested Bad Boy Puppy too. And came away with a couple of surprises about HIS ancestry. (You can't totally tell a dog's ancestry just by looks.)
|
|
Virgil Showlion
Distinguished Associate
Moderator
[b]leones potest resistere[/b]
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 15:19:33 GMT -5
Posts: 27,448
|
Post by Virgil Showlion on Nov 22, 2013 20:29:58 GMT -5
I done it and found out I'm extremely rare.
You're kidding!? I got tested too and got the same result. It turns out I'm exceptionally rare. There's only one of me. ETA: Be careful to read the fine print, though. In your case it may mean that you're just not cooked enough.
|
|
whoami
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jan 8, 2011 12:43:49 GMT -5
Posts: 1,292
|
Post by whoami on Nov 22, 2013 20:30:35 GMT -5
We did our dog as well. We can totally see the breed she came up as....shes 100% catahoula on side....assorted breeds on the other. We never could figure out her weird coloring. We were told she was a black lab with pit mixed in. Neither breed was in the list. She matches a catahoulas personality profile perfectly.
|
|
Jaguar
Administrator
Fear does not stop death. It stops life.
Joined: Dec 20, 2011 6:07:45 GMT -5
Posts: 50,108
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"https://cdn.nickpic.host/images/IZlZ65.jpg","color":""}
Mini-Profile Text Color: 290066
|
Post by Jaguar on Nov 22, 2013 21:01:48 GMT -5
I done it and found out I'm extremely rare.
You're kidding!? I got tested too and got the same result. It turns out I'm exceptionally rare. There's only one of me. ETA: Be careful to read the fine print, though. In your case it may mean that you're just not cooked enough.
Geez your a laugh. They found I had a never before seen variant in some part of my DNA. Since then that variant was seen in one other.
|
|
msventoux
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 12, 2011 22:32:37 GMT -5
Posts: 3,037
|
Post by msventoux on Nov 22, 2013 21:17:23 GMT -5
Still thinking about getting it done. I'm a worrier, and I figure if it tells me I'm at risk for getting some disease I can worry about that specific disease rather than 30 different ones every time I get a headache or weird knot in a muscle. I have pure bred dogs, but if I had a mixed breed dog I would totally get theirs tested! A friend got her sweet little mutt tested and it was a lot of fun trying to figure out just which traits he might have from the different breeds.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 18:31:34 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 9:45:58 GMT -5
A mutt! We thought maybe pomeranian, chihuahua or papillon. She turned out to be mostly shih tzu & maltese with Tibetan Spaniel (which I never knew what is was, but she has a LOT of it's personality traits), german shepherd (   and small percentages of pug, wheaten terrier, cocker spaniel. Here she is! All 15 lbs of her.
|
|
Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:59:36 GMT -5
Posts: 30,626
|
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Nov 25, 2013 10:25:56 GMT -5
Hey beer, you should totally post that picture of thejigsawpuzzles.com site as a puzzle. Such a cutie.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 18:31:34 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 10:31:46 GMT -5
I've never heard of that site. But you're right that the leaves and the light would make for a good puzzle! ETA: And thanks! We think she's pretty cute too.
|
|
taz157
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 20:50:06 GMT -5
Posts: 12,934
|
Post by taz157 on Nov 25, 2013 10:35:13 GMT -5
What a cutie beer!
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 18:31:34 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 10:42:20 GMT -5
|
|
michelyn8
Familiar Member
Joined: Jul 25, 2012 6:48:24 GMT -5
Posts: 926
|
Post by michelyn8 on Nov 25, 2013 12:00:02 GMT -5
Interesting thread that has me thinking. I only know 1/2 of my ancestry because my Mom was left on the doorstep of a Catholic church. I might just look into this. My Mom always wondered about her heritage and I'm a bit curious as well. Knowing how these threads "progress," go ahead and start in on me now vis-à-vis my heritage. I've considered having mine tested but it would only give me my maternal line (mother>grandmother>great-grandmother, etc) only. Nothing on the males in their families or my father. I could get more info if I convinced my brother to be tested but I don't see that happening - even if I offered to pay. Since its my father's grandfather I have questions about (can trace my maternal grandfather's line back to 1618), a test on myself isn't worth it right now. A connection I made on Ancestry was tested and was able to prove his theory that a possible shared ancestor was actually a "Smith" versus a "Jones" (changed his name for some reason he can't find). I put him in touch with my mother's cousin's son who was the only direct male descendent of this ancestor I know of in my "Jones" line and he was interested in being tested to see if this person is truly our ancestor too or just someone in the same area with the same name since we descended from who appears to be his second wife.
|
|
justme
Senior Associate
Joined: Feb 10, 2012 13:12:47 GMT -5
Posts: 14,618
|
Post by justme on Nov 25, 2013 12:28:11 GMT -5
|
|
Angel!
Senior Associate
Politics Admin
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:44:08 GMT -5
Posts: 10,722
|
Post by Angel! on Nov 25, 2013 12:42:24 GMT -5
I've done the 23andme testing. I actually bought it for my whole family as gifts last christmas (mom, dad, brother, H). I thought it would be fun & interesting & IMO it was. We were all interested in the alzeihmers results as well as to see if we were carriers of anything.
There really isn't too much that you are truly going to get out of it beyond being a carrier or likelihood of a few specific diseases. There are a few diseases like alzeihmers, breast cancer, I think parkinsons, that are highly correlated to your results. Beyond those, the correlation is much less significant. They do rank the tests so you can understand how meaningful the results are, but for many it doesn't mean much. Like the MS test gave my Dad 0.24% of having MS (lower than average), when he actually has MS. The genetic results are just not that significant of a factor for whether or not you will develop MS, so the result is basically meaningless.
And if you are a worrier, then the results might cause you to worry more. I have a higher than average risk for a bunch of diseases, most I will likely never get because the genes they have identified are only a small part in whether someone will get most of these diseases. But, I could see how the results could bother some.
I liked learning about carrier status - none of us carry any genes for the 40+ inherited conditions they test for. So we know that there is no concern for cystic fibrosis or anything when having children.
The ancestry stuff is cool. If you want you can find relatives based on how similar your DNA is to others. H actually found like a 4th cousin. They didn't talk enough to pin down the actual relationship, but they did discover that she grew up on the same street where his grandparents lived, which was crazy.
|
|
gacpa
Familiar Member
Joined: Nov 19, 2013 16:08:06 GMT -5
Posts: 738
|
Post by gacpa on Nov 25, 2013 12:44:36 GMT -5
What a beautiful dog! I love dogs, all of them. We have two Shetland Sheepdogs.
She is a cutie pie.
|
|
Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 18:31:34 GMT -5
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 12:53:07 GMT -5
Thank you gacpa! I actually filled out an application to adopt a different dog, but that one was really tall and scared the bejeezus out of DD (we decided to get a dog because she was developing an irrational fear of dogs) so we ended up with our little gal. I think it was meant to be because she fits perfectly in our household! Heck, even the cat has gotten used to her.
|
|
gs11rmb
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 12:43:39 GMT -5
Posts: 3,365
|
Post by gs11rmb on Nov 25, 2013 13:51:01 GMT -5
|
|
Gardening Grandma
Senior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 13:39:46 GMT -5
Posts: 17,962
|
Post by Gardening Grandma on Nov 26, 2013 13:32:24 GMT -5
If anyone wants it for genealogy (not health) reasons, Familytree DNA is running a great deal. www.familytreedna.com/
|
|