23andMe Review

Genetic testing service 23andMe analyzes your DNA and provides an array of information about both your ancestry and your less ancient relations. 23andMe is second only to AncestryDNA in the volume of DNA it has collected. The two services use similar DNA collection kits for about the same price, but 23andMe gives you much more detail about your ancestry, diving into your maternal and paternal lines; it even reports on how much Neanderthal DNA you have in your makeup. Furthermore, it offers a wealth of optional DNA-based health tests. For its depth of reporting, 23andMe is our Editors' Choice for DNA testing kits.

Genetic Health Screening Services

23andMe offers two types of kits: Health + Ancestry ($199) and Ancestry ($99). The Health + Ancestry plan includes testing for five genetic health risks—with more being added—such as Parkinson's disease, as well as your carrier status for more than 40 conditions, including cystic fibrosis. The service also has a Wellness report that gauges, among other things, your genetic predisposition for being above or below average weight. The company's Traits report measures your likelihood of hair loss and whether you are likely to prefer sweet or salty foods.

In the fall of 2013, the FDA placed a ban on 23andMe's health testing services, which, at the time, scanned your DNA for markers of more than 200 health conditions. The agency had to go through rigorous regulatory review comparable to that required for medical devices. Once that was completed, 23andMe began to offer authorized carrier status reports in 2015 and authorized genetic health reports in early 2017.

It's important to note that, as 23andMe discloses, having a genetic marker for a disease does not guarantee that you'll get the disease. Furthermore, it may be possible to contract a disease even if the test does not show that you have the recognized genetic markers. These tests can give you more information about possible health concerns, but they don't provide a guaranteed vision of the future.

Pricing and DNA Collection

To order a kit from 23andMe's website, you first provide your name and then agree to the company's terms of service. Standard shipping is included in the cost of your kit. AncestryDNA ($99.00 at Ancestry.com) includes all shipping costs in its $99 fee. 23andMe ships kits to every US state, as well as more than 50 countries around the world. You can add a gift message if you wish.

When you receive the kit, you have to activate it using the unique barcode, and set up an account with 23andMe. Next you provide your name, date of birth, and sex. Only your date of birth and sex are on your sample label, not your name. After that, you acknowledge that "you may learn information about yourself that you do not anticipate." Fair warning. Finally, you can choose whether to allow other members to find you by name, and whether to show your name to potential matches. I opted in for the sake of this review.

23andMe's collection kit is almost identical that of AncestryDNA. You're asked not to eat, drink, smoke, chew gum, brush your teeth, or use mouthwash for at least 30 minutes before providing your sample. HomeDNA imposes no such restrictions. As with AncestryDNA, 23andMe requires you to spit into a tube until your sample reaches the fill line and then close the lid, which releases stabilization liquid into the sample so it won't degrade en route to the lab. After that, you simply pop the tube into the included plastic bag, place it in the provided prepaid return envelope, and drop it off at the post office.

DNA Reports and Extra Features

About a week after I shipped out my DNA sample, I received confirmation of its receipt from 23andMe. Less than two weeks after that, I got word that my preliminary results were ready, and my full results were available after another week. When you log in to see your results, you can also update your profile with more information about your background. Results come in a few categories: Ancestry Composition, Maternal Line, Paternal Line, and Neanderthal Ancestry. An Ancestry Overview page gives you the big picture. Here you see a graph of your ancestry composition, which in my case is 95.4 percent British and Irish.

You can also see your extended DNA family (more on this later) and famous relatives—apparently Jesse James is a distant relative on my mother's side. There's also a list of countries of ancestry and a list of top surnames among your relatives. Finally, you can also see how much Neanderthal DNA you have; I have 2.6 percent, according to 23andMe, which puts me in the 29th percentile among 23andMe members. My results from National Geographic Genographic Project put me at 1.8 percent. Of course, this points out one of the main issues with DNA testing: You have to decide how much stock to put into the company's results. While a variation in Neanderthal ancestry isn't a big deal, a variation in Parkinson's markers would be.

On the composition page, you see exact percentages of your makeup with an interactive map. Mine wasn't very exciting, except for the 0.6 percent Iberian, which made me happy since I happen to love Spain and Portugal. You also view your makeup by chromosome on a color-coded bar chart. There's also a "split view," which shows maternal and paternal contributions to your ancestry, but this is only available if a parent connects with you on 23andMe. Of course, DNA analysis is not 100 percent accurate; you can view your results through three different lenses: speculative, standard, or conservative.

The maternal line section shows which haplogroup you belong to, based on your mitochondrial (maternal) DNA. Maternal haplogroups, as defined by 23andMe are "families of mitochondrial DNA types that all trace back to a single mutation at a specific place and time." I'm part of the T2 group (T2b specifically), which is what I have in common with Jesse James. My results from National Geographic go one layer deeper, placing me in the T2b2 haplogroup.

If you're male, you can also view your paternal line, which is passed through the Y chromosome. As someone with two X chromosomes, I can't access this data. I would have to convince one of my three brothers to join 23andMe. Those with the X and Y chromosomes can see both maternal and paternal lines, since mitochondrial DNA is passed on to both sexes.

23andMe also has a lab section with experimental tools, such as DNA Melody, which creates a melody out of the composition of your DNA. These are interesting oddities, but probably not a big sales point.

Like AncestryDNA, 23andMe will look for DNA matches among its other members, but only if you opt in. If you choose to use this feature, which 23andMe calls DNA Relatives, you can receive email alerts about possible matches and what their relationship to you might be. You can turn on open sharing to make certain details—such as your full name—available for other members. If you leave this off, other users will have to send you a share request. You must have a display name, though. Anonymous participation is no longer available, though initials are allowed.

Finding Your Relatives Using DNA

As of this writing, I had over 1,000 matches on 23andMe, including a couple second cousins, and a mix of third, fourth, fifth, and more distant cousins. Depending on the privacy settings of your matches, you may be able to see their names, pictures, sex, birth countries, family surnames, family locations, and haplogroups. You can also see how much they match with you. For example, a member identified as my second cousin was marked as "5.13 percent DNA shared across 18 segments."

If a member's profile is completely public, you can send a message, or, if their profile is private, an introduction. When sending an introduction, you can choose whether the recipient can see your profile and edit the canned message that goes along with the request. As with AncestryDNA, this feature has the feel of a dating site, but if you're curious about your background and looking to build out your family tree, it could be very helpful.

23andMe Health Tests

Since I submitted my DNA to 23andMe in 2015, my results have been updated from time to time with new health reports. At the time my DNA was tested, 23andMe wasn't looking for carrier status, so that information isn't in my reports. I was able to opt into health reports, however, including Genetic Health Risks and Wellness. Celiac Disease has been added to the Genetic Health Risks section. My report shows a slightly increased risk of having the disease, but I've been tested for it in the past, with negative results. This points out the importance of checking in with your doctor about any results that might concern you.

Under the Wellness section, apparently my muscle composition is of the sort that is common in elite athletes, but I can assure I am not even a non-elite athlete. 23andMe notes that this genetic variant's role for non-elite athletes isn't completely understood. The information in the health reports is certainly interesting, but it's not like a medical test; 23andMe is only looking at the likelihood of your having a health condition or, or, say, being a deep sleeper.

23andMe sends out emails to members from time to time to collect more data or to share surveys on behalf of research partners. I received one survey, sponsored by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, for a study on the links between genetics and chronic pain. From 23andMe, I received a one-question survey asking if I had ever been diagnosed with pertussis (whooping cough). You can also answer questions from your profile page to contribute to research.

Even if you opt out of health testing, you can still fill out 23andMe's health questionnaires to help the company research the links between disease and genetics, though you don't have to do so. Users can also opt to save their saliva sample at 23andMe's labs for future testing. Note, too, that you can request your sample be destroyed at any time.

Getting Help

For help along the way, 23andMe has a throughout online support site with FAQs. When you're signed in and viewing your results, you can access context-aware support, which is nice. You can also submit a help ticket if you run into problems. 23andMe now has phone and email and is on Facebook and Twitter. There's no live chat feature, though.

Thorough Reports and Abundant Features

23andMe offers a glimpse into your ancestry, along with plenty of information to help you better understand your genetic makeup. It can also be a starting point for genetic testing, though it's a good idea to supplement these tests with in-person genetic genetic counseling and regular doctor visits. The website is easy to use, and help is easy to find. I found the whole process a lot of fun. If you'd like to integrate your results with a family tree, though, you'll have to look to AncestryDNA, which links to the Ancestry ($19.99 at Ancestry.com) genealogical service, or export your DNA report and use another genealogy service.

Note that it's not just humans who can test their DNA. If you're curious about your pup's heritage, check out our roundup of the best dog DNA kits, too.

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Further Reading

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