Choosing to do 23andMe

When I was younger, I falsely accepted that I would never find my birthparents. The One Child Policy was too harsh. China was too big. I was too far away. Whenever my mother would pitch the idea of a futuristic database where adoptees and birthparents could be matched with what we had falsely believed to be accurate information about our birthdate, finding date, and finding location, and verified with a DNA test, I would not hear it. As a five year old (and even younger), I knew how impossible it was. It is very painful to hope, so I just didn't.

With the advent of DNA testing, my world was flipped upside down. I could walk into a CVS or Target and just buy a DNA test. It was unreal. I had reservations about privacy and had done a project in school about the ethics of DNA databases...even so, I couldn't quash the hope. DNAConnect has managed to match 69 adoptees with their birthparents to date doing random DNA samples (meaning, there was not a prior lead that was verified via DNA. The DNA was the lead). I dove into the world of DNA. As a biochemist, I realized what exactly I was giving up, what ramifications were at stake if DNA were ever used unethically...but I only have one life to live. What if I had a sister out there waiting for me to find her? I couldn't leave her hanging feeling that my privacy was worth more than hers. 

My parents supported me 100% and made an announcement to my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins that I would be doing 23 and Me. My parents and I paid for the test, going 50/50. I choose 23andMe because most Chinese adoptees were in that database. It is better to pool the samples together to maximize the chances of matching each other. I spit in a tube and shipped it off.

Of course, I was a nervous wreck checking my account the first few times. Most of my relatives are distant, the closest one sharing 0.80% DNA with me. Not even a full 1%. I uploaded my DNA file to GEDmatch and there, I was able to connect with Vietnamese relatives! We were able to connect with Facebook and then they were open to Skype with me! That was cool and you can read more about my racial-makeup on that post.

(Read guide for using GEDmatch here.)

Many adoptive parents are in charge of their adult adoptee's DNA sometimes and it can be frustrating to meet so many adoptive parents who don't think a 3rd cousin means anything and cut you off. At the very least, isn't it up to your adult adoptee to decide whether I am someone they would like to talk to? It is extremely discouraging and I just hope that one day, DNA will find a match for me or that one, just one, of my close relatives takes a freaking DNA test. 

I know some people laud WeGene on the premise that their foundational DNA (the sample set that is used to make decisions about everybody else's origins) is most Asian and therefore more reliable. I don't believe this is true. Many people cite WeGene as being too political (might decide your ancestry based on nationality instead. Also highly inaccurate when it comes to Vietnamese ancestry and will prefer to count you as Chinese instead such as a Chinese minority ethnic group) and haplogroups are often way off the mark for some people. For me, my haplogroup in 23andMe and WeGene were completely different. Also, WeGene gives highly inaccurate medical advice and diagnoses which just pop up to try and sell you things, which I did not ask for. The relative search function was also disabled for me and many other people. I'm not sure if that just means I have no relatives on there or if the function isn't enabled for some reason.

from WeGene

External Resource: You can read more about DNA tests in China here.
My Guide for using GEDmatch: GEDmatch and DNA Testing 101
External Resource: Steps provided by DNAConnect for starting your DNA search.