Hello, everyone, and welcome back to my blog. The results of my 23andMe DNA and Health Report came in! I was expecting the results of my testing to come in sometime between December 27th, 2018, and January 10th, 2019, but they arrived early. I have some good news, bad news, as well as surprising and not-so-surprising news. I’ll go over the good news first.
I don’t have the faulty breast cancer gene variants they test for, and I also don’t have the Alzheimer’s gene variants that they test for, which means neither my maternal nor my paternal side carry these specific gene variants. However, I know they don’t test for all possible genetic variations for both diseases, so the potential remains. Personally, I’m going to view that as a low-risk factor for me, since no one in my biological family that I know of has ever had breast cancer or been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Being that I’m a woman, I won’t rule out the breast cancer possibility at all for my future health, so I intend on getting further testing soon (better safe than sorry!).
I also discovered that I have 2 other genetic risk factors, but being that I don’t know my paternal family, I won’t shine a light onto what the 2 risk factors are, because I know that some maternal relatives will see this, and I don’t know if they carry the gene variants for one of the risk factors (the other one has a risk factor that I got from both maternal and paternal), so I won’t share it, in case they don’t want to know. If they do, I’ll just speak with them individually in a more private manner. For the genetic risk factor that I get from both sides of the family, it’s unheard of 100% on my mother’s side. Still, because I don’t know my biological father’s side, I’ll monitor this risk factor and take care of myself as best I can with preventive health maintenance. As far as my Carrier Status Report is concerned, my results were all 100% negative for the gene variants they test for, so I can rest easy on that one for any children I may have in the future with IVF Surrogacy.
Now it’s time to discuss the not-so-surprising news. As expected, with any DNA test, there will always be slight differences in genetic results. However, I can confirm that Ancestry and 23andMe are both right on specific lineages. Ancestry tells me I’m Welsh, and that is indeed true, but it doesn’t identify my Native American Monacan Indian heritage, whereas 23andMe does, although it doesn’t recognize my Welsh heritage. 23andMe says I have 0.3% of that in me, and that is very accurate.
With that being said, now onto the bad news. The bad news is that they didn’t split up my paternal lineage from my maternal lineage. This was honestly a real disappointment for me, but I still have my oldest maternal aunt, who will also take the lineage test. So, what we have in common in terms of ancestral lineage will determine what we don’t have in common, which will probably be on my paternal side. I can rest easy in that area, because it’ll be a simple numbers game at that point. Another piece of bad news is that I have 1,069 genetic matches.
Ancestry tells me I am 61% English, Welsh, and Northwestern European, and I believe that to be true; however, 23andMe breaks it down a little further, yet it doesn’t. It has absolutely no mention of Wales, but if you are familiar with your history and geographical knowledge of Wales and England, you would know that they are both located on the same land and are both part of the United Kingdom. 23andMe provides a report for the United Kingdom, not England and Wales. Interestingly enough, it states that it cannot detect my Irish and Scottish heritage. Still, I have records of one branch of my family tree that confirm we’re from Ireland and Scotland, without a doubt, on my maternal grandmother’s maternal side. 23andMe categorizes the United Kingdom as distinct from Northwestern European, breaking it down to 41.5% United Kingdom and 24.1% Northwestern European, which, when combined, equals 65.6%. This represents a concerning, yet not entirely surprising, 4.6% differential from the combined 61% provided by Ancestry. Honestly? I can accept that difference. What matters to me is that both tests recognized this to be a significant part of my heritage.
However, as you read in Part 1 of this DNA journey, I was also listed as 21% Irish and Scottish on Ancestry, 16% Germanic European, and 2% Swedish. I’m not going into the Irish and Scottish details for 23andMe, because again, 23andMe refers to it as the United Kingdom (which includes Scotland, Wales, England, and Ireland in the present day). Still, that begs the question of, if it’s part of the UK, part of the DNA testing, which is lower, than what else am I? I’ll get to that in just a moment. I want to speak of the Germanic origins first. 23andMe lists my ancestry as 23.4% French and German, but it cannot provide a more specific breakdown. If the Ancestry estimate of 16% Germanic origins is accurate, then the remaining 7.4% would likely be French.
See, 23andMe categorizes Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland in this category. However, disappointingly, though not surprisingly, they are not considering my roots from the now dissolved country of Prussia, which is a part of my German heritage. I find it unique and I absolutely love it as much as I love the Monacan Indian lineage! As for the 23andMe test, they tell me they can’t break down this part of my heritage beyond 23.4% French and German, but I imagine that as testing gets more accurate over time, there will be better breakdowns in the future. Moving on, though…
Next, I found that my DNA list indicated 2.1% Eastern European ancestry, which 23andMe classifies as originating from the following countries: Belarus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. I believe the Ukraine part, as I’m pretty sure I came across some familial record information on my mother’s paternal side regarding an ancestor’s immigration from Ukraine. Still, I’ll have to review those records again to confirm. As for the rest of these countries, lumped together, that’s a lot! Again, this is another section they couldn’t break down for me (go figure). However, I’ve always believed deep down that I might have some Polish ancestry, and was rather surprised when I didn’t see it listed on the Ancestry test, so I just let it go until now!
The Scandinavian recognition was no surprise, but the numerical amount kind of was. Ancestry listed it as 2% Swedish, but according to 23andMe, Scandinavian cultures also comprise the countries of Denmark, Iceland, and Norway. So, whether I’m actually 2% Swedish or 0.9% Scandinavian is up in the air for me, and now begs the question of, “Where on earth is the missing 1.1% of this lineage?” There were a few unexpected surprises on the 23andMe test regarding ancestry. Well, let’s find out, shall we?
23andMe also stated I am 0.7% Iberian, 4.6% Broadly Southern European, and 2.3% Broadly European. I’m not at all surprised about the broad European part, or even the Southern European part, which 23andMe doesn’t specify the countries involved in those cultural groups. However, I was totally and completely thrown off by the .7% Iberian lineage, which comprises Portugal and Spain. If 23andMe could detect my Native American Monacan Indian heritage at 0.3%, and considering that 23andMe is the only test recognized by FDA quality and scientific standards of being as accurate as to the .1% of any one person’s heritage, I think I’m going to believe 23andMe’s recognition of my Iberian heritage. Again, however, it doesn’t specify a better breakdown of which, but now I’m really intrigued!
I find it really interesting that Iberian should be on this list. The reason is that spending at least six (6) months in Portugal is something I’m interested in someday. It’s just a fascinating culture to me. In conclusion, I have provided a screenshot of the Ancestry and 23andMe DNA tests, allowing you to see what they look like and how they differ. Take a look at them both, if you would like.
The first photo is the Ancestry DNA Test Results.
The second photo is the 23andMe DNA Test Results.
I know neither test is 100% accurate, and no DNA test is 100% accurate. However, they become more accurate over time, and the tests will always be updated. The bad news, however, is something I’ll save for another post. It was absolutely devastating to me and took a lot out of me today on the emotional scale, and with it being in the 11th hour of the night, I’m just not in the mood to talk about it right now. I also feel I’m not ready to share the bad news until I’ve done a more thorough investigation first, and I’m going to enlist the help of one of my best friends. For now, I’m just going to focus on spending quality time with family. I must confess, however, that despite the bad news, I still don’t regret taking either of these tests. It’s provided me with more answers to questions I needed for peace of mind. Thank you for sticking with me on this journey. Although my Health Report journey has reached its finish line, I will update you with another post after the holidays about this DNA and Family Tree journey. Until my next post, may you all be at peace, joyful, in good health, and may you all be safe in your destinations throughout the holidays!
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and have a wonderful, prosperous new year!
A Few Beautiful Moments 