Explore Your Family Health History this Holiday Season
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The Holidays will look different this year. While many of us won’t be gathering with our families, it is as important as ever to talk about family health history. We share a lot with our families, including our DNA. Everyone has a family history of something, whether high blood pressure, diabetes, or a rare genetic disorder.
The Surgeon General has declared Thanksgiving Day to be Family Health History Day. Take some time to talk with your family about your health history. Download our Family Health History Worksheet to help record this information.
The next step in preserving health history and a family’s genetic legacy is DNA Banking. DNA Banking is the secure storage of an individual’s genetic material for future analysis and testing. PreventionGenetics stores banked DNA for a minimum of 50 years. Once banked, only the individual or authorized representative(s) may withdraw the DNA. DNA banked at PreventionGenetics can be tested at PreventionGenetics or sent to another lab.
Reasons to Bank DNA
- Your DNA is available now. Don’t let the opportunity to store your genetic information pass.
- You or a family member have a specific health condition and are concerned other family members might be at risk.
- Current testing has not yet identified a genetic cause for what appears to be an inherited disease in your family.
- You want to give your family the best chance to utilize future advances in medicine and genetic testing.
- Interpretation of DNA test results is greatly improved with genetic information from family members.
- End-of-life is near for you or a family member, and little time remains for genetic testing.
We wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season.