TODAY’S POLL

LAST POLL RESULTS

32.6% of you voted No, and I’m not interested in Friday’s poll: Have you ever used a DNA testing or genetic analysis service?

“They have your DNA and can share or sell it to anyone they please. I know who I am — I don’t need a questionable ancestry report.”

“I’m pretty well acquainted with my ancestry and, in fact, even have a printed copy of my family crest.”

“I’m not interested at all in using DNA for any testing.”

“NONE OF THE INFORMATION IS SAFE FROM HACKERS OR BIG TECH FIRMS. NO WAY I AM GIVING THEM THAT INFORMATION.”

“I don’t trust them to keep my data private.”

“It’s not that I’m ‘not interested’ — I’m concerned ‘private’ isn’t actually private.”

“What is the point?”

“I want to looksmax and have heard about the genetic optimization trend.”

“I haven’t used it, but I’ve been seeing a lot about genetic optimization, and it’s something I’ve thought about if and when I start family planning.”

“I never thought too much about doing one of those. I don’t have children, so I never felt the need.”

“No, but my sister did, so ours should be very similar. My daughter did hers, which proved to be very interesting.”

“I clicked ‘no, but interested,’ but I’m not sure I ever will. My genetics are all over the place, but it would be cool to see all the percentages of where I come from. I’d be a little fearful to do the analysis, though, because I’m already dx’d with three autoimmune diseases, my son is autistic, and I’m in my last quarter of life and don’t want to know about the chances of other things that may happen. I just want to enjoy the time I have left.”

“I know I have a family history of ovarian cancer with young onset, so I want to get tested for that and a couple of other disorders.”

“I do quarterly blood tests and would love to do DNA discoveries, but finances hold me back.”

“Very interested; however, the cost to become a member is a bit high, especially for senior citizens.”

“I do find it intriguing.”

“Helped me find a biological half-brother (we were both adopted)!”

“My mother’s third husband adopted me when I was five, and I knew I had a biological father somewhere in the world. When my adopted father passed, I took Ancestry and 23andMe tests, hoping to find my biological father and perhaps other paternal family members for both personal and medical reasons, since I have two children of my own who share ‘his’ DNA. However, what I found out was that the man I was told was my father all my life wasn’t — and my half-brother from my mother’s first marriage was actually my full brother, and his father was my father. I’ve known my biological father and the paternal side of my family my whole life — as an ‘outsider.’ There’s so much more to the story, but let’s just say a Pandora’s box was opened.”

“Did Ancestry and 23andMe — interesting to compare the similar but slightly different results. Your actual DNA might be fixed, but the test result profile can change when a company’s database of population samples expands.”

“I used Ancestry.com.”

“We figured, for the heck of it, we would do ‘23andMe.’ No surprises there. I’m not interested in finding out all my hereditary deficiencies — at my age, I’ve pretty much figured them out. Plus, what I don’t know can’t hurt me.”

“As there was a history of genetic disorders in my family, I had to undergo genetic testing/analysis when I was pregnant with my first child to see if I carried the genetic trait that led to the disorders. Would I undergo genetic testing otherwise? Hard pass — no.”

“My son was diagnosed at age 5 with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I already had an older daughter, and we needed to know if I was a carrier of the disease to see if she could also be a carrier and how it would affect her reproductive choices.”

“I’ve enjoyed using DNA results in my genealogy research. It’s amazing how much they can help in everyday research.”

“No surprises, though — for me. My children did it because their father always claimed Native American descent — 0% turns out.”

“I did, and I’m glad I did. I found out I have less mixed ancestry than I believed previously.”

“Yes, in my early 20s, and I learned some interesting info, but nothing surprising. I regret giving my data up in this way.”

“Not for me — for my dog, who was a rescue. It wasn’t super accurate and missed the obvious whippet in the mix of my super dog.”

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