You can get DNA testing done at clinical laboratories, your doctor’s office, retail pharmacies, or from home using a mail-in kit, depending on what kind of test you need. The right option comes down to your goal: tracing your ancestry, screening for health risks, establishing paternity, or diagnosing a genetic condition. Each path has different locations, costs, and levels of medical oversight.
At-Home DNA Kits
For ancestry and basic health screening, mail-in saliva kits are the most accessible option. Companies like 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and MyHeritage sell kits online and at major retailers including Target, Walmart, and Amazon. You spit into a tube, register the kit online, mail it back in a prepaid package, and wait for results. Ancestry-only kits typically cost $59 to $119, with MyHeritage offering a budget option around $36.
Health and wellness DNA kits that screen for genetic risk factors run higher, generally $100 to $640. The FDA has authorized 23andMe to report on specific genetic variants linked to conditions including celiac disease, hereditary hemochromatosis, late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and selected BRCA1/BRCA2 variants associated with breast cancer risk. These reports cover only a handful of known variants for each condition, not a comprehensive scan, so a “clear” result doesn’t mean zero risk.
Processing times for at-home kits vary. Expect roughly 6 to 8 weeks for standard ancestry results, though some companies deliver faster during low-volume periods. More specialized tests, like deep Y-chromosome analysis, can take 10 weeks or longer.
Doctor-Ordered Clinical Testing
If you need a DNA test for a medical reason, your doctor will order it through a clinical laboratory. This is the route for diagnosing inherited conditions, guiding cancer treatment, screening for carrier status before pregnancy, or assessing risk for conditions like hereditary heart disease. Your doctor draws a blood sample (or sometimes collects a cheek swab) and sends it to a certified lab.
Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics are the two largest clinical laboratory networks in the U.S., with collection sites in virtually every state. Labcorp alone operates primary testing and specialty labs in cities from Birmingham to Seattle, including dedicated divisions for genetics, oncology, and molecular biology. Quest has a similarly broad footprint. You can search either company’s website for the nearest draw site, though you’ll need a physician’s order before walking in.
Clinical genetic tests use blood-derived DNA, which yields significantly more usable genetic material than saliva. Blood samples produce enough DNA to reliably read nearly all targeted genetic markers, while saliva samples read fewer markers overall. When the same markers are successfully read from both sources, the results match about 98.7% of the time. For medical decisions, the higher reliability of blood-based testing matters.
Some clinical labs also let you order certain tests directly. Labcorp’s OnDemand platform, for example, sells select tests to consumers without a doctor’s order, though the menu is limited compared to what a physician can request.
Prenatal DNA Screening
Expectant parents can access noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS, sometimes called NIPT) through their OB-GYN or midwife. This test uses a simple blood draw from the mother’s arm to screen for chromosomal conditions like Down syndrome and can also reveal fetal sex. It can be done as early as 10 weeks into pregnancy.
Major labs including Labcorp offer multiple prenatal screening options. Your provider orders the test and collects the blood sample at a routine prenatal visit, so there’s no separate trip to a testing facility. If a screening result comes back high-risk, diagnostic procedures like amniocentesis (available from around 15 weeks) can confirm or rule out the finding.
Paternity Testing
Where you get a paternity test depends on whether you need the results for personal knowledge or for legal proceedings. At-home paternity kits are sold at pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens for roughly $30 to $80, plus a lab processing fee that typically brings the total to $100 to $200. You collect cheek swabs at home, mail them in, and receive results.
If you need results that hold up in court for child support, custody, or immigration cases, you must use a legal paternity test with a documented chain of custody. This means samples are collected at a certified facility by a trained professional who verifies everyone’s identity and seals the samples under witnessed conditions. Labcorp operates certified collection sites across the country for this purpose, and many independent labs offer the same service. Legal paternity tests generally cost $300 to $500.
Whole-Genome Sequencing
If you want your entire genetic code mapped rather than just selected markers, whole-genome sequencing is available through specialized companies like Nebula Genomics, Dante Labs, and some clinical providers. Pricing ranges from $400 to over $2,000 depending on the depth of analysis. Most of these services ship a saliva collection kit to your home. The results are far more detailed than consumer ancestry kits, covering millions of genetic variants, but interpreting them often requires a genetic counselor.
Costs and Insurance Coverage
Out-of-pocket costs span a wide range. At the low end, a basic ancestry kit runs $36 to $119. Health screening kits fall between $100 and $640. Whole-genome sequencing starts around $400. Clinical tests ordered by a physician can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, but health insurance frequently covers medically necessary genetic testing. If your doctor orders a test because of family history, symptoms, or a specific diagnosis, check with your insurer before the draw. Many plans cover genetic counseling as well.
Privacy Protections to Know About
The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), passed in 2008, makes it illegal for health insurers to use your genetic information to deny coverage, set premiums, or determine eligibility. It also prevents employers with 15 or more employees from using genetic data in hiring, firing, promotions, or pay decisions. Employers cannot request or require genetic testing as a condition of employment.
GINA has real limits, though. It does not cover life insurance, long-term care insurance, or disability insurance. Some states have passed their own laws extending protections to these areas, but coverage varies. If you take a consumer DNA test, your results also live on that company’s servers, governed by their privacy policy. Before submitting a sample to any service, review whether the company shares data with third parties, allows law enforcement access, or uses your DNA for research.
Choosing the Right Option
- Curiosity about ancestry or ethnicity: an at-home saliva kit from AncestryDNA, 23andMe, or MyHeritage is the simplest and cheapest route.
- General health risk screening: an FDA-authorized consumer health kit covers selected variants for common conditions, with results in a few weeks.
- Specific medical concerns or family history: ask your doctor for a referral to clinical genetic testing through a lab like Labcorp or Quest, ideally paired with genetic counseling.
- Legal paternity or immigration cases: use a certified collection facility with chain-of-custody documentation.
- Prenatal screening: your OB-GYN can order noninvasive blood-based screening starting around 10 weeks.
- Complete genetic profile: whole-genome sequencing through a specialty provider gives the most comprehensive data, at a higher price.