Close up of nurses hands holding buccal cotton swab and test tube ready to collect DNA from the cells.

Genetic Testing Kits Can Inform You About Your Health

Many organizations have done good studies on how gene clusters may be inherited by a community of people with a shared ancestor. Thus, people who are not ill but want to know their risk of having certain diseases may purchase direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits. The majority of these kits are available to customers without a doctor’s prescription, and some can be purchased via the Internet.

Performing genetic tests can reveal helpful health information that you can use to detect any health risk or condition. One benefit of DTC genetic testing is increased accessibility for the user.

Here are the following uses for direct-to-consumer genetic testing kits:

1. Paternity Testing

Presume that you’re a man who was confronted recently by a woman who claimed she was your daughter—your goal now is to determine paternity. Fortunately, the best home genetic testing kit can help confirm your connection.

You can get the tools and instructions in the package for cheek cells. Although STRs differ in size, each inherits the next. So, in the sample, nine specific STRs can be found in the father, which may or may not be the same in the child. If at least two STR sizes don’t match, likely, you’re not the father.

And, if the supposed father and daughter have the same allele, a statistical equation is used to calculate the likelihood of parentage. The formula takes into account that most people hold these STR alleles. Owing to this, paternity testing almost always ensures a 100% accuracy rate.

Paternity testing kits can be found online and in pharmacies. To minimize contamination, make sure that the samples are collected carefully. Understandably, however, this form of paternity testing has little validity in court. Since the daughter and father would need the aid of a third party to collect and maintain their samples, they should not exclusively rely on DNA testing until consulting with the lab. If you want to know if you’re related and don’t plan to discuss custody, a genetic test is enough to validate your relationship. 

2. Family Planning

Think of a couple who has struggled to conceive and are interested in finding out whether their infertility has a genetic basis. Couples can perform chromosomal rearranging before in vitro fertilization (IVF). You’ll receive a lab specimen and a laboratory kit from the testing company, and your karyotypes would then be analyzed. The karyotype looks at the number of chromosomes and the number of chromosome rearrangements.

Chromosomal translocation is the only type of malformation an individual may have before adulthood. It’s the condition in which everyone has all of the genes in place, but has extra or absent chromosomes in the gametic cells. This gamete’s early development would almost definitely lead to a miscarriage.

Achieving a target karyotype for both parents doesn’t guarantee their upcoming IVF to be effective. It’s beneficial for them to have counseling, such as psychotherapy, to explore DTC research findings since the couple’s family planning will be based on their interpretation of the outcome.

3. Disease Risk Testing

Suppose, a person is aware of their unhealthy lifestyle and looks to discover or confirm a health condition. If you think you’re susceptible to having health disorders, you can do a genome-wide screening to learn more about your predisposition. The information you gain from it will allow you to make better choices about your daily life.

Included in the test kit is information on collecting and running saliva, and performing an analysis. Researchers will test the DNA in your saliva for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and calculate your risk for specific conditions based on that study’s results in a comparative comparison of SNPs in the population.

It’s also critical to remember that genetics doesn’t fully determine health. Other factors can play an equivalent or a more significant role in a particular disease or condition development. This current lack of scientific knowledge would also hinder the study of other important aspects of someone’s health and wellbeing, including detecting and evaluating the potential risk an individual faces from having a genetic condition.

While this test will help you understand your health’s state better, this will also encourage you to make healthier lifestyle choices. 

Takeaway

DTC genetic testing provides consumers with easy and inexpensive ways to identify their specific genetic characteristics. Furthermore, as more applicable research advances, predictive accuracy would also increase. However, regulatory monitoring of DTC should be done to ensure that DTC genetic testing won’t be used to commit fraud. Conducting genetic testing allows you to know more about your health and, possibly, find any health issues you don’t quickly notice. If you want to know more about your current health condition and possible health risks, consider undergoing a genetic test to put your mind at ease.