Genetic testing has been available for decades in one form or another. But genetic testing was expensive (thousands of dollars per patient), time-consuming (results often took months to return), and limited in scope (usually one or two genes at a time). As a result,...
For over a century, parents had the option of placing a child for adoption anonymously – meaning that the child and adoptive family had little or no information about the biological parents, and few, if any, means to contact each other in the future. But the advent of...
Over the past six months, I’ve taken some of the most popular consumer DNA tests on the market so that I, as a genetic counselor, can better understand the consumer experience. I took an ancestry test a few months ago and was impressed with the accuracy of my...
Millions of consumers have already had genetic testing using a direct-to-consumer (DTC) kit, and thousands more will find one under their Christmas tree in a few days. In addition to learning that they are 14% Dutch and have sticky ear wax, thousands of people will...
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic test kits appear to be more popular than ever this holiday season. In my ongoing journey to take every major genetic test kit on the market, I ordered an ancestry-based kit a few weeks ago. The kit was easy to order online, and the...
