Why Is Genetic Testing Good?

Genetic testing has become an increasingly affordable and accessible way to learn about our ancestry, health and risk of passing along genetic conditions to children, along with hundreds of other facts about genetic makeup.

Significance

• Genes contain the coding information for everything we inherit from our parents and ancestors. This includes information about our appearance, personality, genetic disease risk, disease carrier status and ancestry.

Effects

• Genetics have changed the way we look at many scientific fields. Genealogy is a rapidly growing field greatly affected by genetic testing, which can help determine information about where ancestors came from.

Considerations

• Genetic testing has been particularly beneficial for potential parents, as they can test to see if they are a carrier of any genetic diseases they could pass on to their children.

Benefits

• Genetic testing can predict whether you're at increased risk for inheriting certain genetic diseases. If you're at increased risk for a disease, you can control environmental risk factors and be aware of early symptoms to treat the disease as soon as possible.

Warning

• While genetic testing has numerous benefits, you will likely want to speak to a genetic counselor before you receive your results.