Home DNA Test Kit

Although Home DNA test kits are frowned upon by FDA, the interest among consumers is reaching fever pitch. This is because DNA testing is much more expensive if you go to a company who offers this service. At the same time, the wait for the results to come through mail is excruciating.

Consumers want to have the option of home DNA test kits because there are some questions that can be answered based on the results of the test. For instance, you can find out if you are a potential cancer patient based on your DNA. Most popular reason though would be paternity tests to prove child support or other similar claims.

Do they work? This would depend on several things:

• Collection of sample
• Handling of sample
• Sample
• Preservation of sample or time frame between collection and testing
• Quality of the DNA home kit

In medicine, there are often grey areas, and this means interpretation is also a major factor. You can misdiagnose a test result, and then stress unnecessarily because of it. Most doctors prefer not to recommend DNA home test kits, especially unsupervised ones, because of the potential pitfalls.  One of these pitfalls in codominance which is a term used to describe a condition with several factors or causes.  This means a gene that indicates a chance of getting cancer does not mean much unless it is compared in connection to other genes. As such, misinterpretation is often committed.

If ever you do decide to take one, be sure to read the instructions carefully, and not use it as a toy. Also, the test results are not acceptable in any court of law as evidence. This is merely for personal use only.

You should also choose which DNA home test kit to buy. The cheapest would be around $300, but it may not always be the best choice.  If you need a DNA test for legal reasons, then you need to go through the proper channels. If you just want to go into the “what if?” kind of scenario, then go ahead and take the DNA test. Just be sure that you get someone qualified to help you interpret the test results.