23andme genetic testing: anyone do this?

[Tekate]

As to privacy, I did not worry about my privacy because I've had pap tests, urine tests, blood tests, hip replacements on and on.. at anytime 'someone' 'somebody' 'some organization' 'the government' could get their hands on my DNA and off I go, they know all.

It is worrisome for younger people if say they have a gene for BRCA and the insurance company finds out about it and then they no longer can have health insurance THAT is worrisome. If I have a long lost brother or sister (which I would love ha!) then welcome to my family (I have had 2 popup nieces, one showing up at 19 and one I've not met yet, my brothers busy little Irish boys) .

Of course, I am a believer in socialized medicine and if I found out I had BRCA at a young age I would have done the same thing Jolie did..

If a relation of mine was/is a psychopathic, sociopathic rapist/murderer then I would be thrilled to help, I doubt it though, I'm too old now, my cousins are older than I am

 

[whitewave]

@whitewave pretty cool! my neanderthal came in as less than 51% of 23andme users.. may I ask? what is the 5$ website? thanks!

Kate

Prom.... something lol. People have mentioned it on this thread I think

 

[missy]

If I have a long lost brother or sister (which I would love ha!) then welcome to my family

Sis!!!!

 

[missy]

Prom.... something lol. People have mentioned it on this thread I think

Prometheus is what I think you are referring to.

 

[missy]

I got my results back last night— the most alarming thing is that I am a cystic fibrosis carrier (57% Irish). So I will have to get my kids tested to see if they are carriers and if they are, their spouses will have to get tested before they have kids.

2 genes for macular degeneration (my aunt has it)

Hella Neanderthal— more Neanderthal than 75% of 23 and me users. (Whatever that means lol)

I’ll feed it into the 5$ website later on. I’m still at my vacation house getting several plumbing issue fixed and my iPad died died. Will have to get a new one— hard to see even on a iPhone 7 Plus.

Hi Whitewave, I recommend that you research your options and start taking a good macular health vitamin. I'm doing this too because I have a strong likelihood of getting mac degen also. My results similar to yours re the mac degeneration likelihood and my dad has almost lost all vision in one eye from it and my mom's dad was blind from it as well. But as I wrote in another thread Knowledge is Power and while there is not 100% proof it works it cannot hurt and it probably does help. Two of the big ones are Lutein and Zeaxanthin.

Dry AMD:

Right now, there is no definitive way to treat the dry form of AMD. However people with lots of drusen or serious vision loss might benefit from taking a certain combination of nutritional supplements. A large study found those people may slow their dry AMD by taking these vitamins and minerals daily:

• Vitamin C (500 mg)
• Vitamin E (400 IU)
• Lutein (10 mg)
• Zeaxanthin (2 mg)
• Zinc (80 mg)
• Copper (2 mg)

 

[Tekate]

I knew it!! (((MISSY)))

Sis!!!!

 

[redwood66]

So it seems the East Area Rapist in CA was found after 30 years because one of his relatives submitted their DNA to one of these type sites. I can remember everyone being so afraid and the news telling people to keep their windows locked because he was sneaking through open ones.

http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article209987599.html

 

[AprilBaby]

Welcome to the Neanderthal club!

 

[DAF]

Just an FYI...Promethease is giving free analysis until May 5th, I believe. So upload your information and find out more about your genetic makeup.

 

[whitewave]

Hi Whitewave, I recommend that you research your options and start taking a good macular health vitamin. I'm doing this too because I have a strong likelihood of getting mac degen also. My results similar to yours re the mac degeneration likelihood and my dad has almost lost all vision in one eye from it and my mom's dad was blind from it as well. But as I wrote in another thread Knowledge is Power and while there is not 100% proof it works it cannot hurt and it probably does help. Two of the big ones are Lutein and Zeaxanthin.

Thanks so much! I will get some

 

[missy]

LOL I ran my raw data through Promethease (thank you @DAF...I think bwahaha) and it said I have the Warrior gene. VAL/VAL version. LOL I really am more the Worrier so that cannot be right. It also said I am more likely to be optimistic hahaha. No that might be somewhat true as I have always considered myself a pessimistic optimist so OK I will give it that one. But Warrior vs Worrier. Ummm no I don't think so.

Oh and it also said I have a lower risk OCD risk, normal Tardive Dyskinesia risk, lower ADHD risk. Less Alcohol dependence. And better avoidance of errors. And I am very empathetic. It definitely got some of that stuff right. So so interesting.

I just hope it got some of the others wrong for me too because let's just say I don't like my odds after seeing all that data interpreted by Promethease. Nice knowing all of you.

#highbloodpressure #diabetes #coronaryheartdisease #AMD #breastcervicalcanceretc #hemachromatosis #somuchpoorDNA

But luckily I am an "optimist" and will see the bright side of all this. Not much longer to deal with all these potential health issues. Dealing with enough as it is...



Fascinating stuff. I remember (but don't remember where it is) there's a thread here asking what would we do if we were starting over and searching for an alternative career and now I think my answer would be to become a geneticist. What an amazing field and OMG one could change and help the world if we could come up with more answers about what to do to help these issues.

 

[DAF]

Missy, I'm optomistic as well, however, I am reported to be less empathetic. That can't be.

Just remember to take all that information with a grain of salt, as there are usually several genes that influence genetic outcomes.

 

[ame]

Count me in the neanderthals.

"You have more Neanderthal variants than 92% of 23andMe customers.
However, your Neanderthal ancestry accounts for less than 4% of your overall DNA."

 

[elizabethess]

Quick update to my using 23andme as an adoptee story: I initially joined for health info and ethnicity info. I decided to opt into DNA relatives, and over the past year I mostly got a lot of very distant relatives. But, there were two close hits. One for a great aunt (maternal) and one for an aunt (paternal) and through them I was able to discern the identities of my birth parents. Pretty wild stuff, especially since my birth father didn't/doesn't even know I was born No plans to reach out to either, at this time (connecting has never been my primary motivation) but I have been able to get some important family health history and a good deal of my genetic heritage filled in... including the identity of the paternal great-grandfather who gave me my 15% Jewish heritage! What a wild thing.

 

[redwood66]

I forgot about this thread. Thanks for reviving @elizabethess. I can imagine it would be strange. My FIL called a few months ago to tell DH that he was meeting with DH's older sister. FIL never knew about her and she found him through one of these sites. It seems they (the mother and my FIL) dated very briefly before FIL met my MIL and before he went to Vietnam. The mother never told him and the daughter was given up for adoption immediately.

 

[partgypsy]

Now this is making me curious about taking it, though I'm not sure if it will make me feel better or worse knowing about genetic risks. I did do my dog when it was on sale, and it was definitely worth the $40 price tag. How accurate it is, who knows. We did suspect that he had some kind of hunting dog in him because he has an amazing nose and would break out of our backyard and go running off. He has a hunting instinct and has killed killed possum, rats, and also possibly a grown raccoon (found it's carcass in our backyard). But, he is also good friends with our cat. He has a super loud (really annoying) bark to alert us to things, but if he goes after an animal he is completely silent. He came up as 50% fox terrier, 25% each german shepherd and 25% coonhound. We felt the types of dogs they listed was consistent with his behavior.

 

[GliderPoss]

Interesting results but hell would freeze over before I willingly provide my DNA to a corporation...

 

[elizabethess]

My FIL called a few months ago to tell DH that he was meeting with DH's older sister. FIL never knew about her and she found him through one of these sites. It seems they (the mother and my FIL) dated very briefly before FIL met my MIL and before he went to Vietnam. The mother never told him and the daughter was given up for adoption immediately.

This was close to my situation: parents were high school students, boy had graduated and was out of the picture when she found out she was pregnant, he never knew and I was placed almost immediately.

 

[elizabethess]

@HotPozzum if you're not adopted I think it's kind of a different situation. Family medical history can contain crucial info. That's why it's in everyone's medical files... well, except adoptees Now I have a robust picture, spanning generations, of some very important issues that run genetically on both sides. This knowledge can finally be shared with my doctors, and it definitely will impact how I approach my health as I age. It's not just to my benefit, but my offspring as well More than an interesting result in my book...

@partgypsy For what it's worth, I am of the firm belief that knowledge is power and if you know you have a risk (like a tendency to cancer) you can be vigilant, proactive and prepared (physically and emotionally). I will say I didn't learn much about my genetic risks from the actual DNA test, my discoveries came through info about genetic relatives.

 

[missy]

@HotPozzum if you're not adopted I think it's kind of a different situation. Family medical history can contain crucial info. That's why it's in everyone's medical files... well, except adoptees Now I have a robust picture, spanning generations, of some very important issues that run genetically on both sides. This knowledge can finally be shared with my doctors, and it definitely will impact how I approach my health as I age. It's not just to my benefit, but my offspring as well More than an interesting result in my book...

@partgypsy For what it's worth, I am of the firm belief that knowledge is power and if you know you have a risk (like a tendency to cancer) you can be vigilant, proactive and prepared (physically and emotionally). I will say I didn't learn much about my genetic risks from the actual DNA test, my discoveries came through info about genetic relatives.

Yes, this is what I believe as well. Last year I decided to go ahead and find out what health info I could from my 23 and me DNA results. I do not regret that. My dh OTOH elected not to and has no wish to do so in the future. I respect his decision. There is no universal right or wrong for all. It comes down to the individual and what the best decision is for them.

 

[GliderPoss]

@elizabethess
Yeah I totally understand the reasons for adoptees to do this! My late aunt was adopted and it would have been very beneficial for her as she as always seeking answers we couldn’t give which was very sad.

 

[partgypsy]

I have a lot of family history on both sides of the family, so the genetic part is not so compelling for me. I would do it more for curiosity about ancestry.