![]() Many people don’t know their family history, due to reasons like adoption, donor conception, estrangement, having a small family, or having ancestors who died young before any hereditary diseases could develop. What if you don’t know your family history? ![]() DNA tests ordered specifically to investigate the genetic cause for a specific medical reason are usually much more comprehensive and sensitive than any type of test you would have from the at-home testing market, or that could be found from digging into a raw data file from an DNA test ordered for ancestry purposes. What’s your ethnic background? Some conditions run more strongly in certain ethnic groups.Īny chance recent generations of your family were closely related to one another, such as cousins marrying cousins?īased on how you answer questions like these, there might be specific follow up questions and certain DNA tests to be considered. Is there a strong family history of the same condition, like high cholesterol, seizures, etc.? A genetic counselor might try to ask for more details if you answer YES to questions like:ĭo you have relatives who have experienced early-onset of a disease that usually affects older people? Think of things like heart attacks, dementia, cancer, etc.Īny unexplained cases of sudden death, especially in otherwise young and healthy relatives? Like single-car auto accidents or a young person who died in their sleep?ĭo you know of any babies who died from SIDs (sudden infant death)? These “red flags” in a your personal or family medical history might help you stop and ask more from family members or try to do a little more digging into any documents you can find. Types of red flags a genetic counselor will ask more about There are a million ways to create a family medical history, and countless number of reasons to do it. Luckily, there are online resources to help you. This information is difficult to retrieve once relatives pass away. ![]() I quietly applaud when I read about someone finding and saving medical information on ancestors and relatives like this!Īs a genetic counselor and genealogist, family medical history will always be important in my eyes. Others learn medical history from living relatives and write that down. Some genealogists track down death certificates and record the official cause of death for ancestors. Genealogists are a creative bunch, and I love to read about the information they discover and record about family.
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