I haven’t yet discussed Autosomal DNA testing in depth on this site (so much to do, so little time) but for those who are interested in DNA testing for genealogy AND for health reasons, 23andMe is a good choice. I won’t go into all the things you should do to evaluate the companies that provide these services, but if you’ve determined on your own that you’re interested in 23andMe, now might be a good time to go for it. 23andMe reduced their starting cost to $99 some time back (with a commitment of one year of subscription service at $9/month). You can get a no-commitment sign-up for $399.

Believe it or not, there are actually genealogical hints that can be derived from the heath side of 23andMe’s offering. Carrier status of diseases, or specific shared traits, can help group people together or show that someone’s origin isn’t exactly what they thought. A member of our local genealogical society who is Ashkenazi, who had suspected possible Sephardi roots, found on 23andMe that he was a carrier for Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), which among Jewish people is almost exclusively in the Sephardi population (like the many other diseases which are unfortunately exclusive among Ashkenazi Jews). That doesn’t confirm a Sephardi link, but it is a good indicator that he may be on the right track.

Anyways, why do I bring all this up now? Simply because 23andMe is offering a $50 coupon this week (expires August 9), bringing the start-up cost to $49 (plus $9/mo or $118 in the first year for subscription). Even with the subscription cost, that’s very inexpensive compared to what these tests have cost in the past.

So here’s the coupon:

In order to use the coupon, just add an order to the shopping cart on their site, and then add the above discount code to the order.

If you do order a kit, post in the comments how the process goes in ordering, using the kit, and when you get your results.

If you’re already using 23andMe, you can’t use the coupon, but feel free to comment on your experiences so others can learn about it.