But if I were 35 and thinking of starting a family...late...I might check it out and my DH too....and perhaps choose to adopt.
I know someone who has a double dose of inherited ALS type diseases....her daughter would want to do something like that.
Maybe not you....but others will.
Linda c

I know it! I just heard that on the radio. This Friday the kits will be on the shelves here. Isn't it amazing? The human genome was just mapped in the 80s. Amazing. But I'm with you Janis. I don't want to know. The little I do know bugs me.

;)

As long as it is just me knowing I am fine with it. When the government and medical field decide that we all must have it done and entered into public record then I will be very concerned.

I'd luv to know about my dna history, but I'm with endorphinjunkie on this one, and I'll add that I'm afraid of the insurance companies.

Ack! I hope my mother doesn't hear about this. She would want it so she could know what she might get or have (she is 84) She really wants to have something to explain why she can't do what she used to do. Telling her she is getting old is NOT what she wants to hear. Which I can understand, but doesn't lessen the annoyance of hearing it all the time.

The FDA just announced a legal challenge, and the sale of such tests is on hold. I know there's strong concern by doctors about testing without the appropriate accompanying counseling that may be required as a follow up.

You can get genetic testing done for hereditary diseases which might have a bearing on whether to start a family, or something like Huntingdon's disease etc already, through your doctor. I don't see a need for something Over the Counter like this. Imagine if you received terrible news, without the context and advice that a doctor will provide, not to mention advice on next steps.

Here is a link that might be useful: New York Times article about FDA test challenge

I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last May. Since I developed it young -41 and have no know family history my doctor suggested genetic screening/testing.

I am so torn. While it would be beneficial to my daughter to know if she is a potential carrier, and to myself for possible therapies, I am worried about the effects this knowledge could have on our ability to be insured etc...

So I am still in contemplation phase.

I don't know how I feel about self-testing. Hearing some of these diagnoses can be devastating. I can't imagine hearing it without some sort of official support/counseling. God forbid a false positive and irreversible decisions!

I'm concerned about privacy issues. Pathway genomics is the manufacture and they seem to scan your test. What are their privacy policies? From what I have read, they are looking for partners to sell the kit. What are the privacy policies for partners. What are the privacy policies for Walgreen's?
I read the article that sara_the_brit_posted about the FDA challenge, but I did not see any mention about privacy issues.

I don't want to change the topic here, but IMHO, the home pregnancy tests were a boon to home testing. Totally private. One could make a choice of what to do.

I'm in favor of anything that puts information into the hands of the individual rather than into the hands & pocketbooks of *any* "professional" group.

You can always get professional input or guidance if your test results are troublesome.

Remember the old days when young women had to get a doctor to tell them they were pregnant?

Nowadays, you can pick up a pregnancy test at any drug or discount store, & if it's positive, you can go to your doctor or clinic to get started on pre-natal care or whatever.

I'm with you Sylvia. As far as I can see, those tests would primarily show a predisposition to certain diseases as opposed to a diagnosis. The costs are not prohibitive, and I'd suspect that down the road, those tests are going to be mainstream and routinely suggested just like mammograms and colonoscopies. So, they're going to go on your medical history anyway.

I'm also with Beanmomma. If there is a way an insurance company can peg the poor risks, they will.

I'm also with West Gardener. There should be complete anonymity. Your genetic profile is like your fingerprint. I believe I read that service personnel now have genetic samples taken for possible body identification. If that is the case.......large numbers of people already have entered the database. How secure are databases? How long are they kept and how long are the physical samples kept. Also there is the issue that physical samples taken for one purpose could be used for another by testing different markers.

And, I'm also with Janis. Unless there were very special circumstances where there were a need to know.......I don't think I'd care to worry over something one might get, or might not.

At my age the issue is moot. Were I younger I might want to know, but only if it would be 100% private. As is, the insurance companies would get in the act. Hope that only physicians can order the screening with your permission, as they do now.

I'm of a certain age where it does not matter much what the genetic code says. However, we have children and grand children and if I take a test, the genetic code information could/will follow them forever.

What bothers me is the psychology of the commercials on TV. The over use of "my" (fill in the malady) and "your" (fill in the medicine) then side affects that are worse than the problem. Then at the end they say "If you cannot afford 'your' medicine let us know and we will get you started." Makes me skeptical of any of them.

Interesting that this was dredged up by a spammer. I vaguely remember it and it now interests me with my current physical condition. If we continue at the mercy of of the insurance companies to choose our fate they will most likely use this and other new similar technologies to determine eligibility. Rather sneaky off hand way to cleanse the population of imperfections.

Who wants to know? Don't we have enough worrries? How many people would end their lives if they knew? I'm afraid it is the insurance companies who would like to know and how can these tests be 100 % sure and safe? Hereditary diseases are also a private matter and most families pass this info along to their children. We have enough government and insurance company interference.

"If you cannot afford 'your' medicine let us know and we will get you started."
That's pretty much the same line the drug dealer on the corner says, when he (she) gives out a freebie of the best stash to a kid, just to get him (started) and hooked.