Aaaand, the winner of the random* drawing for a FREE DNA testing kit from 23andMe is:

Sarah, from What To Do, PoopsyWoo?

Sarah’s story:

“My mother and sister both suffer from autoimmune disorders. My mother with rheumatoid arthritis, and my sister with a form of muscular dystrophy called myasthenia gravis. Autoimmune disorders being hereditary, and me displaying clinical symptoms of fibromyalgia (not actually considered autoimmune), have left me with quite a bit of anxiety over what my body has in store for it in the future, and what I may be passing to my children. I watched, as a child, the ravages of the disease on my mother, but it didn’t sink in that I could be up against a similar foe until I reached my mid twenties. I’m taking steps now to bastion my body against disease, hoping it isn’t too little too late. But in this situation, I think knowledge would be power.”

I was so intrigued by the comments in the giveaway post. People have such fascinating, heart-rending and important reasons for wanting access to their genetic information. Because we want to do something for the people who didn’t win, we’re offering a special offer: The first 20 people who order a DNA testing service from 23andMe using the following code at check-out will receive $50 dollars off one kit. But hurry, because the code will expire Sunday, June 14 at midnight.

The code is: GBKE7M

Or, if you’d like to take another shot at winning a FREE service, check out the ongoing giveaways at these blogs: Mama Bird Diaries, BagMomma, and The Mummy Chronicles.

I saw some differing opinions about whether it’s ethical to have a child genotyped, which is something I’ve struggled with myself. I’ll post my thoughts about that later this week. Thanks for entering and sharing your thoughts!

*How the winner was selected: Ineligible comments were tossed, and the remaning comments were numbered. One was chosen using Randomizer.org.

Ever since I was genotyped for the blogging project I’ve been working on for 23andMe, I’ve found myself talking about the company’s DNA testing service to everyone I know. Having in-depth access to my genetic information has been fascinating, illuminating, and makes for great party conversation (Just try using the sentence “I just found out I’m a carrier for hemachromatosis!” over the punch bowl. Life of the party!)

So I’m really excited to be able to offer a FREE DNA testing kit from 23andMe to one of my readers–I’m always looking for a new person to chat about SNPs and haplogroups with.

If you’d like a shot at winning the service—which is worth $399 and gives you access to detailed information about your traits, family background and health predispositions—just leave a comment on this post answering one of the following questions:

“Are there any mysteries about your family background that genotyping might help you figure out?”

-or-

“Are there any health conditions or traits that you suspect you might be genetically predisposed to? What would you do if you found out you were—or were not?”

-or-

“Would you ever have one of your kids genotyped? Why or why not?”

One commenter will be chosen at random to win, and the winner can opt to use the service him/herself, or pass the kit along to a friend or family member. The contest is open to legal residents of the USA, ages 18 or older and the winner is responsible for any applicable taxes. Here’s a link to the official rules:

https://www.23andme.com/bloggergiveawayofficialrules/

I’ll close comments to the post at 11 PM on Thursday, June 11, and will contact the winner sometime on Friday, June 12. Make sure you leave a contact e-mail in the comment so we can get hold of you! Good luck!

*full disclosure alert: Just to make sure I’m very clear, I’ve been working as a contractor for 23andMe for the last few months. That means I received my genotyping kit for free and have been paid to blog at 23andMe.

I’ve got a new post up at 23andMe about the ethics of having kids genetically tested. From the post:

On the one hand, genotyping isn’t treatment, and it’s not diagnosis. And the conditions that genetic testing can indicate risk factors for seem to be mostly adult-onset. Since my children don’t NEED to be genotyped right now, is it really up to me to make the decision for them?

On the other hand, genetic testing could be compared to any other health decision. Do I let my kids decide whether they want to take a needed medication, get a yearly checkup, or have their cavities filled? No. If their doctor suggested they needed to have their blood tested, an ultrasound, or an X-ray, would I let them make the final decision? Nope. Two months ago, when my son Isaac split his forehead open on the granite counter and assured me that he reallyreallyreally didn’t need stitches, that inch-long, half-inch-deep gash would heal just fine with a bandaid…did I go along? Nope, and nope. I’m responsible for my kids’ healthcare, and they aren’t mature enough to really understand the consequences of not following through on testing or treatment.

This is feeling particularly relevant because my husband received his 23andMe results today, and found out that he is a carrier of the H63D mutation. So am I. That means that each of our five kids has a one-in-four chance of carrying two copies of the mutation, which puts them at risk for hemochromatosis, a potentially fatal–but very treatable–disease.

Head over to read the rest, and don’t forget about the 23andMe Pregnancy Community, where you can participate in research, take fun surveys and join a network of other moms interested in pregnancy and genetics. (It’s free!)

You may remember that I posted a few months about working with 23andMe, a personal genetics company in Silicon Valley that’s making it possible for average Janes and Joes to get access to their genetic information. While I had a few misgivings about “knowing too much”, curiosity won out and I spat (i.e. filled a small vial with saliva to send to the company for genotyping, or analysis of my genetic information).

Finally, 23andMe is ready to announce the project they’ve hired a group of fabulous mom bloggers (including yours truly) to help launch: the Pregnancy Community. What I find the most exciting about the community is the opportunity to contribute to surveys and research studies about health, traits and pregnancy–and you don’t have to be a 23andMe customer to participate.

I’m a skeptic when it comes to technology and health (for example, I’ve never chosen to get genetic testing done on any of my children in utero) and it’s something I thought long and hard about before choosing to partner with 23andMe. But what I’m finding is that knowing more about yourself and your background isn’t scary or sinister in and of itself; it’s just more information that you can choose to use (or not use) however you’d like.

My first post is up over at 23andMe, and it’s all about “why I spat”:

As a mom of five, I’m always curious how it can possibly be that I wound up with such different children, all created from the same basic set of genetic material. There are some things I’d love my kids to inherit from me—-my blue eyes, for example. But I’d rather they got my husband’s skin (he tans much better). And while I hope they love to read like I do, he’s a whole lot better at following user’s manuals, while I can barely tell the difference between slot A and tab B, let alone figure out how to insert one into the other.

Their personalities are all over the map, with bits and pieces of their father and me and other relatives making for an interesting family stew. How much of this is chance, and how much was pre-written in their genetic code? Did, for example, the fact that they all got teeth at 2.5 months of age have anything to do with the fact that I got mine around the same age? Are they jokesters because they were born that way, or is it from their environment? And hey, I know that sperm determine the baby’s gender, but is it really all because of Dad that we wound up with four boys before we finally broke the mold and got a girl—or is it possible my genes have anything to do with it?

Read the rest of my post here at the 23andMe pregnancy community. And you can help move the research forward by sharing anonymously about your pregnancy experience(s). Visit www.23andme.com/pregnancy to take surveys on everything from whether old wives’ tales held true to you, to which common pregnancy maladies you experienced. I hope to see you there!