The study was done at a genetics lab,Ambry, that does the clinical testing.

In a sense, that makes them a competitor to the tests theyre critiquing.

Ancestry doesnt report health results at all, and 23andme only reports serious health conditions forcertainFDA-authorizedtests.

These are places in your DNA where individuals tend to differ from each other.

Some of these variants are associated with cancer susceptibility or other health conditions.

But those resultsespecially from a third partyarent as rigorous as a clinical genetics test.

Clinical testing, on the other hand, is doctor-ordered and the testing labs follow stricter protocols.

The different types of testing deal with those potential errors in different ways.

That said, even a very small error rate will likely result in several SNPs turning up incorrect.

But 23andme makes no guarantees, especially about the other results in your raw data.

They are, however, a very popular service for this jot down of testing.)

Clinical tests are more thorough.

They also do extra tests to figure out if a relevant section of your DNA was deleted or duplicated.

And the lab double-checks their work if the initial results look iffy.

For all of that extra effort, the tests can be expensive.

Interpretation Matters

Data errors only explained some of the false positives in the Ambry study.

This is a tricky question because there can be disagreement about some SNPs.

It lists the interpretations from different labs, even if they disagree.

What to Do When a Mail-in Genetic Test Has a Scary Result

First, dont panic.

Remember, your family history and your other risk factors should be part of the discussion too.

That said, not every doc understands the difference between DTC and clinical tests.

(Connor says theyshould, but shes met a few who dont.)

Another avenue for advice is to speak with a genetic counselor directly.

it’s possible for you to searchfindageneticcounselor.comfor someone who is either near you, or available by phone.

Select At-home/Direct-to-consumer DNA testing to find a specialist in interpreting and dealing with these kinds of results.

They can help you figure out whether you need more testing, and how to get it.