AncestryDNA Test Kits On Sale Through March 17th
I see a high frequency of posts asking which DNA test someone should take for identifying MTHFR and methylation cycle mutations — many of which can be quite expensive.
The purpose of this post is to share that the AncestryDNA test kits used by myself and my family (with excellent results) are currently on sale from their usual $100 to as low as $39.00 (+$9.95 S&H) through March 17th:
This is not an affiliate post, and I have nothing to gain by sharing this. As a married father of three, I know that DNA testing can be expensive (particularly if looking to evaluate an entire household) and simply wanted to pass on the info regarding the current sale for the common good.
My wife, myself, and my three children (along with several extended family members) purchased AncestryDNA tests last November, when they were steeply discounted from their typical $100 list price all the way down to $30. The current sale is not quite that good, but I don't know how often sales of that magnitude are offered.
At that time, both Amazon and Target were offering the same sale for the AncestryDNA test kits, with the added benefit of potentially free shipping. Neither retailer appears to be price matching the current offer, so I don't see a current avenue to avoid the S&H surcharge.
Test Content
I have some extended family members who have taken tests from both Ancestry and 23andMe, and I have summarized the MTHFR-specific content differences in this post for those curious.
If you expand the "What Does This Report Include" sub-header on this page on the Seeking Health website, you will find a helpful matrix comparing StrateGene, Ancestry, and 23andMe test content by gene and SNP.
While you will get a comprehensive understanding of your genetic profile from the AncestryDNA test, it does not include two related SNP's of interest, such as one DHFR SNP (rs70991108) and MTHFD1 C105T (rs1076991), which both impact folate production. It does include the other DHFR SNP and the other two MTHFD1 SNPs, and I believe it is the most comprehensive test of its kind for the current price point.
Once you have the raw data from a genetic test such as Ancestry, it can unlock the use of additional analytical tools like those offered by Genetic Genie, Dr. Chris Masterjohn's Choline Calculator, and Genetic Lifehacks to further your understanding of your genetic profile.
Test Logistics for Children
For those with children who may be wondering, my seven and five-year-olds had no issues producing the necessary saliva for the test. However, my two-year-old had problems both generating and producing the requisite saliva, which required some creative problem solving to circumvent.
Using some tips I found online, we alternated letting her sniff lemon and peppermint essential oils to help her produce the necessary saliva. I read that gently rubbing the cheeks can also help with saliva generation, but we didn't attempt that ourselves.
In order to capture her saliva, I ended up purchasing a 50-pack of sterile dental swabs for $8 from Amazon (again, not an affiliate link) that did the trick for us. She was able to place a swab under her tongue and it gathered her saliva quite easily. I then squeezed out the swab into the provided tube while wearing surgical gloves to prevent DNA contamination, a process which we repeated 2-3x. Her DNA results came back successfully.
Conclusion
If anyone has further questions about AncestryDNA testing — such as how to download your raw data file or query the raw data file for SNPs of interest, I will be happy to share what I know in the comments!