AncestryDNA: Unboxing, How to Activate & Results!

WHAT IS AncestryDNA

AncestryDNA is a DNA test that examines your unique genetic code by extracting your DNA from a small saliva sample.  They use genetic science to determine family relationships within their large database of AncestryDNA members and your ethnicity origins. In English, AncestryDNA is a test that tells you your nationality and matches you with other possible family members!

Please Note: They now sell AncestryDNA Traits. This includes everything that AncestryDNA kit does but also  lets you discover 26 of your most interesting personal traits.

HOW MUCH DOES AncestryDNA COST

The price for ancestryDNA fluctuates. It was $109 on Amazon when I started this blog, then it went on sale for $69 and now it’s back up to $99 (click here to view/buy). If you go straight to the AncestryDNA site it’s currently $99, however it was $59 for Mother’s day! That being said, when you look it up, if you don’t like the price, just wait a day or two and see if the price goes down!

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE AncestryDNA Kit

The Kit comes with the following:

1. spit tube with funnel
2. cap filled with blue liquid to stabilize DNA
3. collection bag
4. prepaid box to ship sample back

BEFORE YOU START  – IMPORTANT!

30 minutes before you take the test DO NOT 

• Eat
• Drink
• Smoke
• Chew Gum

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

1. See above. Make sure you have not eaten, drank, smoked or chewed any gum in the last 30 minutes.
2. ACTIVATE KIT: go to ancestrydna.com/activate
   • Create a login and answer a few questions to activate the kit.
   • Enter your 15 digit code. You can find your code on the box and also on collection tube.
3. Spit into the funnel until your spit reaches the wavy line. PLEASE NOTE: Foam/bubbles don’t count. Do NOT overfill.
4. Replace the funnel with the cap that contains the blue liquid.
5. Tighten the cap to release the blue stabilizing fluid.
6. Shake the tube for at least 5 seconds.
7. Place the tube in the collection bag and seal.
8. Place the collection bag into the prepaid shipping box.
9. Mail in your sample.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

HOW LONG DOES AncestryDNA TAKE TO ANALYZE THE DATA?

The folks at AncestryDNA say the processing time is 6-8 weeks however we got our results back in just 9 days! I signed up for text alerts when I filled out the initial questions so I received an alert informing me of every step. Here is the rundown of what they do once they receive and the time it took for our samples (processing times will vary!).

1. receive sample (took four days from the day I mailed to get there)
2. process sample (2 days later)
3. extract the DNA (2 days later)
4. analyze the DNA (5 days later)
5. results are ready! (same day as analyzation)

They say 6-8 weeks but I am guessing it all depends on the demand and if you have tricky DNA (is that a thing??). I would say plan to wait for 2 months and then when it comes earlier… well SURPRISE!

WHAT DATA DOES AncestryDNA KIT GIVE YOU?

The results are very easy to read. Scroll down or click here to see my YouTube video. I give you a full walk through on the process and what the results look like. In the meantime… AncestryDNA tells you your Ethnicity Estimate and also gives you a history on the regions you are from. They also tell you any possible relatives that you have (only if they have done the AncestryDNA test of course) and how you are related. The site is continuously being updated to show you new relatives (aka DNA matches) that have taken the test. You can create a family tree and it will even try to match you up with Ancestors from 1790-1930 that are in their database.

IS AncestryDNA ACCURATE

For me the test was accurate! I thought I was 50% Italian, 25% Irish and 25% French with a little Swedish or Scottish thrown in there somewhere. Well guess what? The test came back with Italian, Irish, French and Scottish! My percentages were different than I thought mainly because I didn’t account for the fact that I would inherit more of one nationality than another. My mother is supposedly 100% Italian so I just split that in half. My dad is Irish, French and a teeny bit Scottish so I just divvied those up as well! Apparently you get a different mixture of nationalities just like you would your looks!

ADD ONS/UPGRADES

I only did the basics (really all I cared about was top line… what nationality am I and how much) but you can go deeper if you pay additional money. You can look up ancestors and get all of their info for 19.99/mth. I haven’t done this (and have no plan to! lol) but for that price you can get census records, wills, ship logs and more. They have experts on hand to solve family mysteries (called Progenealogists) and you can also order photobooks and posters through the site.

CAN YOU GIVE AncestryDNA AS A GIFT?

Yes! You can buy AncestryDNA and give it as a gift to someone. My mother actually bought it for my husband and I for Christmas. Once you activate the kit however you cannot gift it to someone else. It has now been linked to you.  They also have Gift Memberships that you can buy for other people. See image below for US Discovery pricing and details and World Explorer pricing and details.

OVERALL THOUGHTS/AncestryDNA REVIEW

I am happy that I took the AncestryDNA test! I used to say that I was 50% Italian, 25% French, 25% Irish. Now I can say otherwise with more confidence! I look forward to someday visiting the regions that I am from (I have already been to Italy & France but not to Ireland or Scotland) and maybe learning a thing or two about my ancestors (or probably not because I’m not much of a history buff, but I will partake in seeing the sights and the libations LOL). If you are on the fence… just do it!