My Heritage Reviews

MyHeritage, who had until recently sold Family Tree DNA tests, released their own ancestry test in November last year, which links in with their family tree building and record finding service. At £69, the test is more affordable than many others on the market, especially considering that it not only offers ethnicity analysis, but includes a family finder feature. I was really looking forward to seeing what it had to offer.

Product expectations

The MyHeritage website explained that the test would provide me with information about where in the world my DNA originated and would match me with relatives. One thing I particularly liked was a video that showed the kit and its components, as well as the process the samples would go through in the lab. I felt that this really demystified how the analysis would work, something that I didn’t expect to see explained or shown in this much detail. Being able to see the lab itself and the different checks made throughout the process also reassured me about the security of my data and the accuracy of results.

There was a section at the bottom of the page that included another video on how to take the sample. Beneath this there was a short list of frequently asked questions, which answered both practical queries (eg. How long will it take to get results?) and broader questions about DNA testing (eg. ‘What is the connection between DNA and family trees?’). I really appreciated the effort MyHeritage had gone to guide me through the process and to make it as clear as possible what to expect when taking a DNA test, before I’d even bought one.

In terms of what was provided in the report, it was explained that I’d find out information about the places in the world my ancestors had lived and would be able to find relatives, matched with me through our shared DNA. I was interested to read that MyHeritage had “the largest international network of family trees” and was looking forward to using the service to build my own.

Ordering experience

To order my test I had to make an account with MyHeritage, which would also be used to deliver my results. This took less than a minute and I was then taken to an ordering page that offered a range of payment methods, including PayPal and the option to pay directly with my credit/debit card. The terms and conditions and privacy policy were pretty standard, though I was slightly concerned to read that I would have no rights to any commercial products that might be developed in the future, even if they were related to my DNA. I wasn’t quite sure, but this seemed to mean that they’d be able to make products using my DNA, without compensating me.

Once I’d ordered, I received a confirmation email. I was slightly worried, as a few weeks later I hadn’t received confirmation of my samples reaching the lab, so contacted customer service. I received a reply a few days later explaining that there was a slight delay in processing the kits. The response was polite and well-explained, and I received receipt of my samples reaching the lab less than a week later.

Results section

After my samples had reached the lab, I was able to track them during each stage of the process. I found this feature particularly valuable, as even though the results took four weeks to arrive, it felt as if there was always progress and information on how long each stage would take.

Four weeks after my samples had been received at the lab, I got an email informing me that my results were ready. The report was made up of two main parts, ‘Ethnicity Estimate’ and ‘DNA Matches’, each of which had several different features within it.

Results section: Ethnicity Estimate

Upon clicking on the link in the email, I was shown an introduction to my ethnicity results. This introductory presentation showed me some of the origins of my DNA, accompanied by a globe that span around to show me the region each result corresponded to. A part of this introduction is shown below.

Click to see largerThe introduction to my results

The introduction to my results

I thought that this was a really engaging way in which to present a summary of my results and it provided a great starting point from which to explore them further. I particularly enjoyed the music that played as the globe spun around, changing with each region, which I thought was a fun extra touch.

Once I had gone through the introductory section, I was able to look at my ethnicity breakdown in more detail. My full breakdown with the accompanying map is shown below.

Click to see largerMy full ethnicity breakdown and map.

My full ethnicity breakdown and map.

This section presented the results slightly differently, revealing that the vast majority (99.1%) of my DNA was from Europe. Within this, 87.5% was from ‘North and West Europe’ which was then broken down into the 75.4% ‘English’ and 12.1% ‘Irish, Scottish and Welsh’ that had been shown in the introductory slide show. I was surprised but impressed that it had been able to distinguish the English aspects of my ancestry from the rest of the British Isles. One of my grandparents was Irish, so it was nice to see this aspect of my ancestry reflected in my results.

The map that accompanied my full ethnicity breakdown also highlighted each of the corresponding regions and allowed me to zoom into the countries included within them (shown below).

Click to see largerMy North and West European result in detail.

My North and West European result in detail.

This provided some factual information about the history and populations associated with each of the regions and also gave me the option to see where events from my family tree had happened in the world. Unfortunately, my family’s events occurred almost exclusively in England, but I imagine this feature would have offered a great way to visualise a more wide-ranging family tree. I thought this provided an excellent link between my traditional records-based research and my DNA results.

The rest of my DNA was Balkan (7.8%), Greek (3.8%) and Native American (0.9%). I’m not aware of any Greek ancestors, so was slightly surprised by this result, but my dad has always been convinced that his dark hair and complexion are linked to some distant Mediterranean ancestry, so the Greek percentage may confirm his suspicions! My mum has been able to trace her ancestry with records to find out that she has some Eastern European ancestors, so this also matched up well with what I expected.

I was most surprised by the Native American heritage, as I have no knowledge of any Native American ancestors. However, as this was such a small percentage of my overall DNA, it seemed plausible that this could be from an ancestor further back than we’ve been able to trace with records.