Approximately 7 million ancestry tests have been ordered by curious consumers, most of those in the past few years. That’s a lot of DNA! While many people may choose ancestry testing to find out more about their ethnic background, that’s just one result that can come from an online DNA test.
On a recent flight, I sat next to a passenger* who asked what I did for a living. After telling her I am a genetic counselor who specializes in hereditary cancers, the conversation turned into a curbside consult about her family health history. It ended with a big surprise for her.
Why take heredity to heart? It’s simple – heart disease is the number one cause of death for men and women, and is highly preventable! It’s also quite common to have a hereditary predisposition to heart disease in your genes.
Editor’s note: The following article is a part of the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ new patient blog post series. Written by real patients, these stories share a glimpse into the sometimes complicated world of genetics and the role a genetic counselor can play in helping people navigate...
“Angelina Jolie Effect”: What Should I Know About Hereditary Cancer and Testing?In 2013, the world was taken by surprise when Angelina Jolie wrote a New York Times piece where she discussed her substantial family history of cancer, her decision to pursue genetic testing for the BRCA1 and BRCA2