- Testing may increase your stress and anxiety.
- Results in some cases may return inconclusive or uncertain.
- Negative impact on family and personal relationships.
- You might not be eligible if you do not fit certain criteria required for testing.
Why is genetic testing a bad idea?
Results of genetic testing can often be uninformative and ultimately can cause more stress and anxiety over the possibility of a disease you may never get. Genetic testing should be encouraged only when there is effective therapy available to prevent or treat the condition tested for.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of genetic tests offered direct to consumer?
It provides personalized information about your health, disease risk, and other traits . It may help you be more proactive about your health. It does not require approval from a healthcare provider or health insurance company. It is often less expensive than genetic testing obtained through a healthcare provider.
What are some benefits and consequences of genetic testing?
A positive result can direct a person toward available prevention, monitoring, and treatment options. Some test results can also help people make decisions about having children . Newborn screening can identify genetic disorders early in life so treatment can be started as early as possible.
What are the risks of genetic testing?
Generally genetic tests have little physical risk . Blood and cheek swab tests have almost no risk. However, prenatal testing such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling has a small risk of pregnancy loss (miscarriage). Genetic testing can have emotional, social and financial risks as well.
Do doctors recommend genetic testing?
Genetic testing is useful in many areas of medicine and can change the medical care you or your family member receives. For example, genetic testing can provide a diagnosis for a genetic condition such as Fragile X or information about your risk to develop cancer. There are many different kinds of genetic tests.
Why you shouldn’t get a DNA test?
For less than $100, folks can discover their ancestry and uncover potentially dangerous genetic mutations. About 12 million Americans have bought these kits in recent years. But DNA testing isn’t risk-free — far from it. The kits jeopardize people’s privacy, physical health, and financial well- being.
Is it worth getting genetic testing?
The obvious benefit of genetic testing is the chance to better understand of your risk for a certain disease . It can help ease uncertainty. Testing is not perfect, but it can often help you make decisions about your health.
Can genetic testing be used against you?
Beyond policing, it’s possible DNA test results could be used against you or your relatives in other ways. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prevents health care companies and employers from using genetic data to deny you employment or coverage.
What diseases can be detected through genetic testing?
- Intro. (Image credit: Danil Chepko | Dreamstime) ...
- Breast and ovarian cancer. ...
- Celiac disease. ...
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ...
- Bipolar disorder. ...
- Obesity. ...
- Parkinson’s disease. ...
- Psoriasis.
How reliable are direct to consumer genetic tests?
Specific requirements for analytical validity are now established for DTC genetic health tests—higher standards than many clinical tests are subjected to, and we are confident that a positive result provided to a customer in one of 23andMe’s genetic health reports is highly accurate .
What are the advantages of genetic testing?
- A sense of relief from uncertainty.
- A greater understanding of your health and your cancer risk.
- Information to help make informed medical and lifestyle decisions.
- Opportunity to help educate other family members about the potential risk.
What type of genetic information can be obtained through direct to consumer tests?
Major types of direct-to-consumer genetic tests include: Disease risk and health . The results of these tests estimate your genetic risk of developing several common diseases, such as celiac disease, Parkinson disease, and Alzheimer disease.
Who covers the cost of genetic testing?
In many cases, health insurance plans will cover the costs of genetic testing when it is recommended by a person’s doctor. Health insurance providers have different policies about which tests are covered, however. A person may wish to contact their insurance company before testing to ask about coverage.
What does genetic testing reveal?
Genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies changes in genes, chromosomes, or proteins . The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected genetic condition or help determine a person’s chance of developing or passing on a genetic disorder.
How expensive is genetic testing?
The cost of genetic testing can range from under $100 to more than $2,000 , depending on the nature and complexity of the test. The cost increases if more than one test is necessary or if multiple family members must be tested to obtain a meaningful result.
