As someone who took a 23andme, I was very surprised by how my results came out. There were a lot of risk factors that I do have, but that doesn't mean that I'll actually get it. Say for instance if you had a gene that's supposed to cause a certain cancer, it doesn't mean that you will actually get the cancer, it's just saying that you have an increase possibility to have that cancer.
So, the fact that FDA just approved 23andme for the BRCA genes invites a very cool way to get screened at a possibly lower cost (lowest I've seen is about 100 dollars for health professional students)!
You may ask what is BRCA and how does that affect me? Well, BRCA is an important gene that suppresses the risk for breast cancer. If you have a mutation for this gene, you're at an increased risk for breast cancer (more info here)
So, to see if you have this gene, you have to purchase the ancestry plus health kit. This kit will tell you about your history and it will tell you all about how your health is genetically. Now, 23andme does have different offers throughout the year, so I would definitely try to check out frequently until the price is convenient for you.
The cool way about genetic testing is that it's a one time deal (unless you messed it up the first time).
Now, with all that being said, just because you have the gene, doesn't mean you'll actually get breast cancer or things like that. If you're really concerned about your result, please talk to your primary care provider and discuss about your results.
I honesty hope that we can see more things like this be approved by the FDA so that way health can be more accessible to people!
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