"One of the biggest things people don’t think about in these situations is the medical history piece of DNA surprises," Alexis added. "We spend our lives with half of our history being a lie—people inherit medical issues that they can’t explain because they don’t know where they come from."
"This is also very common," she says. "It’s estimated that 5 percent of the population has misattributed parentage, whether they know it or not. That translates to 16 million Americans. If all NPEs comprised a state, we’d be the fifth largest!"
If you'd like to hear even more crazy stories about DNA surprises or hear more about Alexis' story, be sure to check out the DNA Surprises Podcast right here.
#23 Found Out I Have A Vietnamese 1st Cousin. My Grandpa Went To Vietnam For The War, Came Back, Had 8 Kids (My Dad), Come To Find Out Years Later I Have A Cousin That Moved To The States And I Had The Opportunity To Meet And Share Stories :) Thanks 23andme
If you’re interested in having a DNA test done, Dr. Robert H. Shmerling of Harvard Medical School recommends you choose the right test for your personal goals. For example, if you are simply curious about your family history, 23andMe might be a good option. But if you are concerned about health risks and want to be sure you are not at high risk for certain medical issues, it might be better to have a more comprehensive test done by doctors. 23andMe only tests 24 gene variants, while other tests can include over 2,000. And in one study of over 4,500 participants, nearly 70% of them, including 94% of Black and 85% of Hispanic participants, would have missed important gene variants that present health risks had they only been tested through 23andMe.
#25 I Found My Egg Donor After Searching For Years And Met Her Accidentally On 23&me!
Is this list inspiring you to have your own DNA tests done? Whether you have tried 23andMe before or you have no interest in seeing your DNA results on paper, we hope you’re enjoying this list of shocking and amusing results from the service. Be sure to upvote the stories that you find most compelling, and then let us know in the comments if you have any personal experiences with DNA testing revealing family secrets. I’ve never taken one of these tests myself, but now I would be interested to know my results. Hopefully, it won’t lead to a panicked phone call to my mother…
#29 I Was Adopted In Mexico And Told All My Life I Was Mexican. All I Know Is I Might Have 8-10 Other Siblings And No Idea About My Birth Parents
#30 After 32 Years, I Finally Have Proof Of Who My Father Is. After 3 Decades Of Hearing My Mother Be Called A Liar, I Have Proof. My Father Was Murdered The Day I Was Born, My Grandparents Accused My Mom Of Lieing In Order To Get Money From Them. My Cousin Helped Me Prove It, And I'm So Grateful
#32 I’m An American With Immigrant Parents From Liberia And Poland. A Near Perfect 50/50 Split
#33 Almost 23 Years Ago A Court-Ordered Paternity Test Said A Child Was Not Mine. Guess What???
#34 Born In France To An Algerian Father And A Japanese Mother. My Parents Definetly Didnt Lie To Me Lol
#35 Bio Dad Found. I'm Done. Overjoyed To Finally Be Able To Stop Searching! Thank You 23&me!
#37 My Parents Were Mad I Spent $100 On Something They Already Knew. (South Indian Results)
#38 I Always Thought I Had Some Asian In Me ... Turns Out I’m Just Really Native American
