Do I need a doctor's referral to access genetic testing?
Tests available on our website do not require a referral. You can order directly through our website and access genetic counselling support as part of your results. Genetic testing results can provide valuable information relevant to your health and ongoing care so we recommended that your doctor is in the loop. Your doctor can provide a referral to us for any test through secure messaging or our Clinicians Portal on our Partnerships page.
How is clinical genetic testing different from direct-to-consumer genetic testing?
Consumer tests. Sometimes called recreational tests, these usually check a limited number of known DNA variants. They are not designed to guide medical decisions.
Clinical tests, like ours. These read the tested genes in detail, are performed in accredited clinical laboratories, and are interpreted by qualified genetics professionals. Results come with genetic counselling, so you and your doctor can use them to inform health and family planning decisions.
As a health service provider, we handle your genetic information under Australian health privacy law at every step of the testing process. Consumer testing companies may operate under different laws and terms, so it’s worth reading their privacy policy before you test.
Already had a consumer test?
If you’re unsure what your result means, or you’d like a more complete picture, our genetic counsellors can help you understand your options.
Can genetic testing tell me if my children will inherit a condition?
Yes. Carrier screening can show whether you and your partner carry gene variants linked to inherited conditions such as cystic fibrosis, spinal muscular atrophy and fragile X syndrome.
What a result means. For most of these conditions, if you and your partner both carry a variant in the same gene, there is a 1 in 4 chance in each pregnancy that your child will be affected. Some conditions, such as fragile X syndrome, are passed on differently and depend on the mother’s result. Knowing this before or during pregnancy gives you time to explore your options with a genetic counsellor and make decisions that feel right for you.
Screening for more populations. Most genetic research to date has focused on people of European ancestry, so more is known about inherited conditions in those populations than in others. Closing this gap matters to us at Genotype Health. We’ve worked with our laboratory partner to offer screening tailored for Southeast Asian populations, and we’re working to extend this to more communities over time.
No screening test can detect every variant, so a negative result lowers your chance but doesn’t rule it out.
Can genetic testing detect my risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer?
Yes. Variants in genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 are linked to a significantly higher chance of developing breast and ovarian cancer. Our proactive health screening tests analyse these genes, and results are interpreted by qualified genetics professionals.
If a variant is found.
If a clinically significant variant is identified, genetic counselling is included to help you understand what it means for you and to discuss risk management options with your healthcare team. Having a variant doesn’t mean you will develop cancer.
If no variant is found.
Most cancers are not inherited, so this result lowers your chance but doesn’t rule cancer out. It’s important to keep up your regular cancer screening.
How does proactive genetic testing help me improve my health?
Proactive genetic testing can show inherited health risks before any symptoms appear, giving you time to plan with your healthcare team.
Proactive health screening. This looks for inherited variants that may increase your chance of conditions such as hereditary cancers and cardiovascular disease. You and your healthcare team can use the results to plan how to manage that risk.
Reproductive carrier screening. For people planning a family, this shows whether you or your partner carry variants linked to inherited childhood conditions, so you can make informed decisions before or during pregnancy.
How will my genetic data be used?
Your privacy is fundamental to everything we do at Genotype Health. Your genetic data is used only to perform your test, deliver your results, and support related activities such as billing. Access to your personal data is strictly limited to staff directly involved in your care, customer service, and essential technical functions.
Our lab partners also uses de-identified, aggregated data for research. Including your data in this research can help advance genomic equity and improve medical research for communities that have historically been underrepresented in genetic studies — including, potentially, your own.
The choice is always yours. You can opt out at any time, and it will not affect your test, your results, or any other service you receive from us.
Will my data ever be sold or shared for commercial purposes?
Your data is never sold or shared for commercial purposes.
When contributing to scientific knowledge, our lab partners share only anonymised, population-level variant information. No identifying information is ever revealed. Expanding this data across underrepresented populations is central to our mission to make precision medicine more equitable and effective for everyone.
You may also choose to consent to the research use of your personal data. This is entirely optional and has no impact on your testing, results, or care. We will never use your data for research without your informed consent.
Your data is never sold for commercial purposes by Genotype Health or our lab partners.
Where and how is my data stored?
Your DNA data.
Your test is processed by one of our laboratory partners, in Europe or Australia depending on the test you order. The laboratory stores your raw DNA data under the privacy laws that apply in that location.
Your personal information and results. Genotype Health stores these in Australia, in line with Australian privacy law.
Your access.
You can ask to see your data at any time. See our privacy policy for details.
