mare
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Post by mare on Mar 3, 2018 10:34:50 GMT -5
Has anyone used these? I'm thinking of forking out the $$ for one or two.
The BRCA one and there's one that includes a test for hereditary Alzheimer's. I think you can have the results sent to your doctor or pay extra to have doctor interpret them.
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PB&J
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Post by PB&J on Mar 3, 2018 12:23:42 GMT -5
I did the one with 23andMe. I am a carrier for a few things and it tests for hereditary stuff, Parkinsons, Alzheimers..plus a few other things. Fortunately nothing major came up on mine other than I am a carrier for Hemochromatosis.
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stl
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Post by stl on Mar 3, 2018 12:50:09 GMT -5
I wouldn't use that for BRCA testing. If you're considered high risk insurance should cover the testing at 100% as preventative. Mine did, I didn't pay anything for it.
Actually I wouldn't rely on one of those kits for anything that you're seriously concerned about medically. It's fine if it's just curiosity, like are you genetically predisposed to like caffeine but that's about as much as I would trust them for that kind of thing.
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Post by realcranky on Mar 3, 2018 15:34:12 GMT -5
Dh did it, and my sister did it, and my dd did it, and my mom's cousin did it, and evidently there's no genetic reason we shouldn't live forever.  |
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Post by Miss Prudey on Mar 3, 2018 16:14:48 GMT -5
Fortunately nothing major came up on mine other than I am a carrier for Hemochromatosis. Interesting...my grandmother was a carrier, as were both of her parents. At least 3 of Grandma’s siblings are believed or were proven to have had hemochromatosis & died from its effects. My aunt is a carrier, but my mother is not. |
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Post by Tpatt100 on Mar 4, 2018 9:47:21 GMT -5
I don’t need a genetic test to know what is going to put me in an early grave I can just look in the mirror lol
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Post by maxmammy on Mar 4, 2018 14:55:07 GMT -5
I had the BRCA test done when I was diagnosed with DCIS. I tested negative which surprised both me & my primary doctor. Insurance paid for it.
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Post by Peanut on Mar 5, 2018 14:52:27 GMT -5
Unless there is a medically valid reason to have it done, I'm not a huge fan of putting myself out there--literally. We have been hacked via security breeches with the US Government and also through attacks on financial institutions. I may be paranoid, but I wouldn't trust a for-profit with my DNA. linkAnecdotally, a friend did the DNA test through Big Genealogy Corporation (name changed to protect the clueless). Her deceased father was adopted, and by combining her "known" family tree with DNA info shared through the website, she has tracked down his (deceased) birth mother and has been contacted through DNA matches by the niece of her father's potential sperm-donor father--the brother of this other person's father. Friend is now trying to convince her sole (direct paternal lineage) nephew to test for "Y" chromosome matches to clarify and/or solidify the genetic link to clear any confusion and know the truth. It reads far more convoluted than it actually is, and she was very excited to have tracked down that information. However, not everyone wishes to have that sort of skeleton let out of the family closet. |
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Post by Peanut on Mar 5, 2018 14:54:57 GMT -5
Oh--supposedly the potential father never had any idea he had fathered a child, and never married. Imagine the sort of child support nightmares that could come about with this sort of thing had the entire previous generation not all passed away by now. ETA: Think about being contacted by the result of one of your or your husband's dalliances, pre-or-post-marriage.  |
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Post by coachgrrl on Mar 5, 2018 18:18:57 GMT -5
I'm leery of the direct to consumer testing. There are so many new genes coming out, and variants of unknown significance. Most MDs do not understand MOST of it. The accuracy can also be impacted for the lab. My best tips- only test if you have a history or are ready to handle results, use a reliable lab, GET GENETIC COUNSELING to accurately interpret your results. Also in the future retesting even 5 years or so may be the norm...as they are constantly discovering more mutations or able to give more significance to a known mutation.
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stl
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Post by stl on Mar 5, 2018 22:10:03 GMT -5
Anecdotally, a friend did the DNA test through Big Genealogy Corporation (name changed to protect the clueless). Her deceased father was adopted, and by combining her "known" family tree with DNA info shared through the website, she has tracked down his (deceased) birth mother and has been contacted through DNA matches by the niece of her father's potential sperm-donor father--the brother of this other person's father. Friend is now trying to convince her sole (direct paternal lineage) nephew to test for "Y" chromosome matches to clarify and/or solidify the genetic link to clear any confusion and know the truth. It reads far more convoluted than it actually is, and she was very excited to have tracked down that information. However, not everyone wishes to have that sort of skeleton let out of the family closet. DNA testing is how I found out I have a half sister about 6 months ago. We were born to the same birth mother and both adopted as infants. Our mother never married or had other children, just the two of us who were both given up for adoption. I also found out, when I found my birth family about 10 years ago, that there is an extremely strong family history of ovarian cancer. I had the BRCA testing done (through a hospital with genetic counseling and all of that, insurance paid since I was high risk) because of that. I'm negative but I think I dodged a bullet. Two of the women died before there was BRCA testing but two who are still alive and have had the testing are positive. I would not mess around with non-medical DNA testing for something like that. |
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Post by coachgrrl on Mar 7, 2018 11:49:49 GMT -5
Lots of discussion on my hereditary cancer boards about 23andme today!
One important thing to note about the BRCA 1&2 testing through 23andME, is that it only tests for 3 variants. Those 3 are ashkanzi jewish founder mutations. There are over 1000 variant mutations in these genes. My brca 1 mutation would not have been detected by 23and me testing. I'm concerned people may take this testing and think they are negative...when in fact they may be positive.
That would have been me 4 years ago. By the time my cancer was discovered it would have been advanced and most likely terminal.
So I am NOT a fan. Honestly, I feel it's negligent.
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mare
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Post by mare on Mar 7, 2018 13:11:38 GMT -5
The thing I'm most worried about is tge genetic Alzheimer's. However, I don't know enough about it to know exactly whst can be tested, you know?
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