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DNA Testing FAQs

Choosing a private DNA or health test can raise practical questions before you know which option suits your exact needs.

Our DNA testing FAQs explain the full journey, from comparing tests and receiving your kit to collecting samples and understanding what happens when your report is ready.
For more specific answers regarding a test, each product page explains what the test looks for, who it may be suitable for, which samples are required and the expected laboratory turnaround.
Use the sections below to find a clear answer. If your question relates to a particular medical history, symptom or result, your Healthcare Professional remains the right person to provide individual medical advice.

Click on a question category below to jump to the content that is relevant to you:

1. Choosing the Right Test

Begin with the question you want the test to answer. The sections and product pages across our website then help you narrow the range without expecting you to understand every test name or panel before you start.

Start with what you want to understand. Carrier screening, for example, looks at whether selected inherited conditions could be passed to a child. Genetic fertility testing explores selected inherited contributors to fertility difficulties, while hereditary cancer testing, ctDNA monitoring, NIPT, paternity testing and nutrigenetic testing all answer different questions.
Each category page helps you choose the appropriate route before you compare individual tests. Once you reach a product page, you can review its screening or testing scope, sample requirements, available options, support, current price and expected laboratory turnaround together.

Yes. We can explain the practical differences between tests, including what each one covers, whether it offers several panel levels, which samples are required and what support is included. This can make a complex range much easier to navigate.
However, we cannot diagnose a condition or choose a test for you based on symptoms. If the decision depends on your medical history or current care, a Healthcare Professional can help define the clinical question. We can then help you find and compare the relevant test information.

Most tests on our website can be ordered directly without a referral or pre-purchase approval. The relevant product page will explain any eligibility requirements before you add the test to your basket.
Some tests need greater clinical involvement. For example, ctDNA monitoring is intended for people who have already been diagnosed with cancer and should be led by an oncologist. Pregnancy circumstances can also affect which prenatal test is suitable. Where this applies, we make the requirement clear and ask you to contact us before ordering.

No. Private testing can give you direct access to additional information, but it does not replace NHS screening, diagnosis, routine care or treatment. Instead, your report can support a more informed conversation with the Healthcare Professional involved in your care.
If you have new or worsening symptoms, seek medical advice rather than waiting for a private test or its result. You should also avoid starting or stopping treatment, changing prescribed medication or making a major health or reproductive decision from a report alone.

The person placing the order must be aged 18 or over. Some tests are specifically suitable for babies or children, and a parent or legal guardian can complete the required consent process and collect an at-home Buccal Cheek Swab where the test allows it.
If the test is for another adult or needs samples from more than one person, everyone being tested must understand the process and complete any required consent or identification details. Check the product information first, or contact us if the circumstances are unusual.

Our website presents the tests that can currently be ordered through the standard online journey. If you cannot find a suitable match, send us a bespoke test enquiry with as much relevant detail as you can provide.
We can then ask our laboratory network whether an appropriate testing route is available. A bespoke test cannot always be sourced, but we will give you a clear answer once the requirement has been reviewed.

2. Ordering Delivery and Test Kits

Once you have chosen a test, the ordering process is designed to keep the practical steps straightforward. Your product page and collection kit remain the main sources for test-specific requirements.

Choose your test and, where applicable, select the panel, screening level or sample-collection option you need. After checkout, we send the collection kit to your UK address with the materials and instructions for that test.
You then collect the required sample at home or arrange blood collection with a qualified Healthcare Professional. Once every sample is ready, follow the enclosed return instructions so the laboratory can begin testing. We will use the contact details supplied with the order for important updates and result delivery.
  • Choose the test and relevant option.
  • Place your order through the secure checkout.
  • Receive and check your sample collection kit.
  • Collect every required sample and complete the paperwork.
  • Return the samples for laboratory analysis and await your report.

Your kit contains the collection materials required for the test you ordered, together with test-specific instructions, labels and any consent or laboratory paperwork that must accompany the sample. Return arrangements are also explained within the kit.
Contents differ because some tests use a Buccal Cheek Swab, others use one or more blood tubes, and a small number require samples from two people. Check the contents when the kit arrives and contact us before collection if anything appears to be missing or does not match your order.

Orders placed before 1 pm from Monday to Friday are normally dispatched the same working day, excluding public and bank holidays. Kits are sent using a tracked Royal Mail service, which aims to deliver within 24 hours of dispatch, although this is not guaranteed.
Some locations, including Northern Ireland and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, can take longer. The delivery estimate shown at checkout and in your order information should therefore be treated as an estimate rather than a guaranteed appointment date for sample collection.

Our standard online test kits can currently be dispatched only to addresses within the United Kingdom. If you live outside the UK and are looking for a specialist test that is not readily available in your country, contact us through the bespoke test enquiry page.
International testing depends on the test, sample stability, transport route and laboratory requirements, so we must confirm whether a suitable arrangement is possible before you place an order.

Contact us if your kit has not arrived within the delivery estimate shown with your order, or if the package is damaged, incomplete or contains instructions that do not match the test you purchased. Please include your order number so we can investigate quickly.
If instructions have been misplaced, ask us for a replacement copy before collecting the sample. Do not substitute your own tubes, swabs or labels, as the laboratory may be unable to accept them.

Contact us as soon as possible if you want to cancel. Eligible unused kits can be returned in line with our current Returns Policy, which explains the 30-day period, return-postage responsibility and any deduction for collection components that cannot be reused.
Once a sample has been sent to the laboratory and testing is in progress, a refund is not available. Please review the full Returns Policy and contact us before posting a kit back so we can confirm the correct process.

3. Sample Collection and Return

The sample is an important part of the test, but the collection method should never be a mystery. We explain the required sample before purchase and provide the appropriate materials and instructions in your kit.

The product page identifies whether the test uses blood, a Buccal Cheek Swab or a combination of samples. If the product has several options, check the sample details for the exact option you select because broader panels can sometimes require additional tubes or a second person's sample.
The collection kit will confirm the requirement again. If the kit and your order do not appear to match, contact us before collecting anything.

A buccal cheek swab collects cells from the inside of the cheek. It is designed for straightforward home collection and does not require a blood draw. Your kit includes the correct swab and clear, step-by-step instructions.
Follow any guidance about eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum or brushing your teeth before collection. This helps protect the sample quality and reduces the chance that the laboratory will need another sample.

A blood sample must be collected by a qualified Healthcare Professional using the tubes supplied in your kit. You may be able to arrange this through your GP surgery, midwife, private hospital, clinic or a local phlebotomy provider, although availability and charges are set by the provider you choose.
Alternatively, you can select or arrange our mobile phlebotomy service where it is available. Do not ask an unqualified person to collect the sample or replace the supplied tubes with a different type.

Yes. Our mobile phlebotomy service is available within mainland UK and gives you the option of having a qualified phlebotomist visit your home or another suitable location to collect the blood sample.
The current additional fee is £60 when one person needs blood collection and £120 for a two-person blood test. If a test involves two people but only one of them requires a blood sample, the £60 one-person fee applies.

Some tests need more than one tube, more than one sample type or samples from two people. Read the labels carefully and make sure each sample is linked to the correct person and order details.
Unless your instructions say otherwise, have every required sample collected and ready before arranging the return. The laboratory may need to receive them together, and sending an incomplete set can delay the test.

Preparation depends on the test and sample type. Some Buccal Cheek Swabs require a short period without food, drink, smoking, chewing gum or toothbrushing, while particular blood tests may have their own timing or preparation instructions.
Follow the product information and the instructions supplied with your kit rather than applying a general rule. Also check the expiry date on the collection materials and contact us if you have held the kit for some time or are unsure whether it can still be used.

Return collection is included with our test kits. Once every required sample and form is ready, follow the enclosed instructions and contact us where directed so we can arrange the courier collection.
Some samples are time-sensitive. Therefore, do not collect them until you understand the return timetable, particularly before a weekend or public holiday. Keep the sample in the packaging and conditions described in the kit while it awaits collection.

Occasionally a sample may not contain enough usable DNA, may not pass the laboratory's quality checks or may be unsuitable for another technical reason. If this happens, we will contact you with the next step, which may involve providing a new sample or considering a different testing route.
A repeat sample will extend the overall timescale because the laboratory cannot complete its analysis until it has a suitable sample. Following the collection, labelling and return instructions carefully helps reduce this risk, although it cannot remove it completely.

4. Turnaround Results and Support

Your report is only useful if you understand what the stated turnaround covers and what the result can and cannot tell you. The answers below set those expectations before you order.

The expected laboratory turnaround is shown on the individual product page. It is measured in working days and varies according to the test, selected panel and amount of analysis involved.
The stated period begins only after every required sample has reached the laboratory and passed its initial quality checks. It does not include kit delivery, arranging sample collection, return transport, a repeat sample or time spent waiting for missing information. Although most reports are completed within the stated range, a complex scientific analysis can occasionally take longer.

We use the contact and consent details supplied with your order for important updates and result delivery. The report is provided to the authorised recipient identified through the order and laboratory paperwork.
If the test is sensitive, choose an email address and phone number that are private and safe for you to access. Also check that every name, date of birth and contact detail is correct before returning the sample, as errors can delay verification and release of the report.

There is no single accuracy percentage that applies to every test in our range. Performance depends on the type of test, the condition or relationship being assessed, the laboratory method, the sample quality and the reporting criteria used.
Where a verified performance figure is relevant, it is explained on the individual product page. Scope is just as important as accuracy: a test can assess only the genes, chromosome conditions, markers or other targets included in the option you select.

A genetic test may identify a change that could be relevant, find no relevant change within the selected panel, or find a change whose significance is not yet fully understood. The meaning of the report depends on the type of test and must be considered alongside your symptoms, medical history, family history and other results.
For this reason, a result should be treated as one source of information rather than a complete picture of your health. The product page explains the intended purpose and important limitations of each test before you purchase.

No. A negative result means the laboratory did not find a reportable change within the genes and types of change covered by the selected test. It cannot rule out every genetic cause, a change that the method cannot detect or a condition that is not included in the panel.
Likewise, a hereditary-risk result does not remove the ordinary background risk of developing a condition. Your Healthcare Professional can place the result in the context of your personal and family history.

Yes. You can share the laboratory report with your GP, midwife, fertility specialist, clinical genetics team, oncologist or another appropriate Healthcare Professional. They can explain how it relates to your wider care and decide whether clinical confirmation, monitoring or another assessment is appropriate.
We always recommend that results are discussed with your Healthcare Professional. Do not start or stop treatment, change prescribed medication or make a major health or reproductive decision from the report alone.

Genetic counselling or provider-led result support is available with some tests, and the relevant product page will state when it is included. Depending on the provider, support may be available before testing, after the report or following a particular type of result.
Where this support is available, contact us and we will arrange the appropriate introduction. Counselling can help you understand the purpose, limitations and possible meaning of the test, but it does not replace medical care from the Healthcare Professional responsible for your treatment.

5. Pregnancy and Prenatal Testing

NIPT and prenatal paternity testing both use a blood sample from the pregnant woman, but they answer completely different questions. Understanding that distinction is the best place to begin.

Non-invasive prenatal testing, commonly called NIPT, analyses small fragments of placental DNA found in the pregnant woman's blood. It estimates whether the pregnancy has a lower or higher chance of the chromosome or genetic conditions included in the selected test.
Because the laboratory uses a maternal blood sample, no sample is taken directly from the pregnancy. Our private NIPT range includes focused chromosome screening, broader screening levels and a standalone option that also covers selected single-gene conditions.

No. NIPT screens for selected chromosome or genetic conditions. Prenatal paternity testing assesses whether a tested man is supported or excluded as the biological father of the pregnancy.
Although both routes use placental DNA circulating in maternal blood, their purpose, laboratory analysis and reports are different. A paternity test does not screen the pregnancy for health conditions, and an NIPT does not establish biological paternity.

Our current NIPT options and PaternitySafe prenatal paternity test are available from 10 weeks of pregnancy, subject to the eligibility rules for the chosen test and your pregnancy circumstances.
Gestation must be confirmed before collection. If you are close to the 10-week point or your dates are uncertain, contact us before arranging the blood draw so we can explain the applicable laboratory requirement.

Please contact us before purchasing an NIPT if the pregnancy involves twins or triplets, a vanishing twin, donor eggs or donor sperm, IVF treatment or surrogacy. Eligibility, sample requirements and the information that can be reported may differ in these circumstances.
For prenatal paternity testing, contact us if any of those circumstances apply, if more than one alleged father needs to be considered or if the possible fathers are close biological relatives. We can check the current laboratory requirements before you place the order.

Some NIPT options include fetal-sex information, while others do not. The availability can also depend on the type of pregnancy. For example, fetal sex cannot be reported through PrenatalSafe for a dichorionic twin pregnancy.
The NIPT comparison page makes this distinction clear before you choose a test. If fetal-sex information matters to you, check that it is included in the exact screening option rather than assuming it is part of every NIPT.

NIPT is a screening test rather than a diagnostic test. A higher-chance result does not confirm that the baby has a condition, and a lower-chance result cannot rule it out completely. Share a higher-chance result promptly with your midwife or maternity team, who can discuss diagnostic testing such as chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis.
Occasionally the laboratory cannot provide a result, for example because the sample does not contain enough placental DNA. A new blood sample or a different testing route may then be needed. We will explain the provider support attached to your chosen test, while your maternity team remains responsible for clinical follow-up.

PaternitySafe is designed for a singleton pregnancy from 10 weeks. It requires a blood sample from the pregnant woman, collected by a qualified Healthcare Professional, and a Buccal Cheek Swab from one alleged father, which he can collect at home.
The laboratory compares selected markers in placental DNA from the maternal blood with the alleged father's DNA. The report then states whether the tested man is supported or excluded as the biological father. No sample is taken directly from the pregnancy.

6. Laboratories Privacy and Confidentiality

Private testing involves sensitive information. We therefore make the laboratory provider visible and use the information supplied with your order only for the services needed to process and report the test.

We work with established specialist laboratories in the UK, Europe and USA. The provider used for a test is identified in the product information, giving you a clear route to understand who performs the analysis and what support is attached to it.
Laboratory accreditation applies to defined activities and testing scopes rather than acting as one blanket approval for every service. We work with providers operating under recognised laboratory quality and accreditation frameworks. If you need the current accreditation details for a particular test, contact us before ordering and we will confirm the relevant provider information.

We collect and use the personal information needed to process your order, arrange delivery and collection, communicate with you and provide the laboratory result. Relevant information is shared with service providers only to the extent needed for them to carry out those services.
We take reasonable security precautions and explain how personal information is handled in our Privacy Policy. Because test information can be sensitive, use private contact details and tell us promptly if anything on the order or consent paperwork is incorrect.

Still need help?

If you are still unsure where to begin, tell us what you are trying to understand. We can help you compare the relevant test purposes, sample requirements, available support and ordering steps.
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