Spent $200 on a DNA test - 23andME

For most of my life I have been fascinated with the notion of finding out where I came from. By that I mean, my ancestry, my bloodline, my DNA. I knew that I was at least HALF Romanian, since that is where my Mom came from when she was 9. But I was less clear on what my Dad's side had. I was told, English/Irish, French/German, and in the more recent years a little bit Spanish-Mexican. 

This July, after much research for the best DNA kit, I caved and purchased the Health + Ancestry Kit from 23andMe, for $199 + Shipping... YIKES. I got the kit because reviews said it gave the customer a more in depth DNA reading when it came to Ancestry on the map, and much more details about Health/Wellness/Traits. 

***There is a sale right now for the Holidays 2017 www.23andme.com ***

The kit came relatively quickly, I spit in the tube 45 minutes after I got it in the mail, Registered my kit online, and shipped it back to the lab within an hour. The process was quick and painless. The only thing I had to do was then WAIT. I think that is the most "Painful" process of this whole thing. 

Late July- Early August, I was visiting Romania for the first time ever. It was the first time ever even leaving the United States! (Except that one time I went to Tijuana when I was 9 years old, but that in no way counts) My Mom hadn't been back since she left, so it was going to be a HUGE reunion, and an emotional one at that. One night on my trip I decided to check out the 23andMe website to see if my results had arrived. THEY DID! What I found out was pretty surprising, and some information not so surprising at all! 

THE BREAKDOWN:

Below is the breakdown percentage of the Ancestry Composition. I have highlighted the categories in DNA I knew, or was told I had from each parent, along with new information I found out all together.

So, I knew there was the English/Irish - French/German bloodline, I found out that Iberian was "Spanish" and that Native American could basically mean Mexican (Since that was where my Great Grandma on my Dad's side was from.) So it was pretty cut and dry with my Dad's side, and I was pretty much told the right information growing up. 

It gets interesting with my Mom's side though. 

Now, Romania is a HUGE melting pot of peoples from all over Europe. You have Greeks, Turks, Italians, Russians, Ukrainians, Hungarians, all mixed in one country, since it was a big crossing point from Here to There, throughout the countries of Europe. "Balkan" represents Romania, but you can see I am only 16.5% so it can only mean that my relatives from Romania weren't fully "Romanian" and that there was some Italian, Turkish mixin' going on.. I mean Love is Love right? Hey, I'm not judgin! But that has to account for the random East Asian percentage that I was NOT expecting at all! It turns out that Yakuts are Turkish people who live throughout Russia near Lake Baikal. And it looks like it happened eons ago since I am barely .1%. My Mom could even maybe potentially have some of the French/German bloodline too since those countries are in close proximity to Romania, and there are a lot of Germans who occupy it.

The cool thing about 23andMe is they also provide a speculated timeline for you. See below:

Im still waiting for my mom to take the 23andMe test. I am excited to see what I will  discover when she does. 

HEALTH AND TRAITS:

A super cool, and major selling point of the 23andMe kit, was the trait and wellness results. I found a lot of these results to be very fun and surprising! 

Interestingly enough I am predisposed to weigh more than average, and yet still have the muscle composition common in Elite Power Athletes (which I thought was SUPER cool) However, I weigh a lot less than the average woman my height, with my DNA background.  ME: 5'7" 129lbs - AVERAGE WOMAN: 5'7" 159lbs. 

Going to Romania was a great learning experience. I learned a lot about heritage and the people in general. A majority of the people do hard labor jobs, Farming, Building, etc. But a lot of them are very overweight. I think that accounts for the result of my genetic weight. However, my dietary restrictions and lifestyle, I think has a big part to play in why I am a lower weight than "average". I don't eat red meat, I eat healthy, rarely any fast food, etc. But if I only disciplined myself to workout 2 - 3+ times a week, I could have my ideal body. 

The elite power athlete aspect makes a lot of sense to me. My dad was extremely athletic in high school (he also got the same power athlete result on 23andMe, but is not predisposed to weigh more). I didn't workout much growing up, but I was very active. As I got older I didn't workout much or eat very healthy for that matter, but I still looked like I had a very athletic physique. Im getting older and I know that it wont last, so seeing this really motivates me to kick it into gear and get the abs I've always wanted. 

When you go the 23andMe Health + Ancestry route, your DNA can potentially hold variants that can effect your health in future. 

It turns out I had 2 variants of AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION. Which means I could potentially lose my eyesight the older I get. Its a scary thing to look up, but I am glad I know that I am at higher risk of getting it. There is no cure, but there are things you can try to do to slow it down. I will be bringing this result to my eye doctor to talk more about this. 

Overall, I am very happy with my results and experience with 23andMe. It is eye opening and educational. I learned more about myself and am happy for it. I told my dad about it and he took the test. I am going to grab a few for my family members, and even boyfriend this holiday to get them started, and to link them to my family tree. I love learning more and more about the people I love, and I think the more one person knows about themselves, the more empowering it is for them.

Check out the kits at 23andme.com - I believe there are some discounts for the Holidays so you don't have to pay as much as I did.