Quirky DNA Test Results

In 2012, my twin sister and I submitted spit samples to 23nMe. We learned a startling fact. Catholic Charities had told our adoptive parents that we were fraternal twins, but genes don’t lie. We are in fact identical twins and the testing bore that out; not surprising given how alike we look and act. When we connected with our birthmother in the fall of 2011, she hadn’t known whether we were fraternal or not as she had not seen us following our births.  The 2012 twin test results astounded us, and it plays a starring role in the remainder of this tale.

My family was thrilled to unwrap their 23nMe test kits on Christmas morning. The only reason I chose 23nMe over Ancestry was because of that twin studies panel from 2012.  The carrier reports offered on 23nMe offered an added bonus. When my oldest daughter was pregnant last year, her physician ordered prenatal testing. She learned that she was a carrier for cystic fibrosis. Until I located my birth parents and obtained both my medical history and family background, any oddities my children experienced have been blamed on my ‘mystery genes’.  No more! The recessive gene my daughter’s carry for cystic fibrosis passed through to them from my husband. As a result, pre-natal testing for cystic fibrosis is a must for all my kids before they start a family.

My youngest daughter was the first to receive her 23nMe results.  As is typical of the 20-somethings, my husband, sister and I were alerted by text.

“How is it that I have two mothers and no father?”  A screen shot of her DNA test results followed shortly after that.

“Wow, that’s crazy!  Both your aunt and I show up as your mothers!” I texted back, “guess you have to manually select me as your mother!”  

“What about Dad?” she shot back.

“He must not have elected to share his results. An easy fix.  By the end of the day you’ll have just one mother and a father too!” I quipped.

By weekend, my other daughter claimed two mothers, and by the following week my nephew was a son I shared with my twin sister. We all got a charge out of 23nMe’s quirky identical twin algorithm. Something else in the data drew our fascination. My nephew’s scores were more closely aligned with me than one of my daughters. Apparently, DNA doesn’t get disseminated equally to your offspring.  I’m looking forward to my son’s results coming in. My sister and I have a bet as to whether my son will line up closer to me or to her, and I’m wondering if he will be closer to my own DNA than my nephew!

DNA test kits are informational, a great way to connect with relatives, share connections, photos, and family history.  While the scientific viability of the test kits are heavily scrutinized by experts, presently they provide a purpose. Like in the case of the recessive cystic fibrosis gene.  Test kits have come along way in regards to what they offer since the Ancestry test I submitted in 2008; the prices are much more affordable, too. As is evident by my family’s experience, there is some cleaning up to do with the identical twin algorithm, and I have no doubt that will happen.  In the meantime, my family is having fun with the results.

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