How DNA Testing Has Transformed Adoption Search

By Richard Hill

For decades, adoptees have been seeking information about their first families. Blocked by sealed adoption records in all but a few states, most adoptees assumed it was impossible to find out anything and never attempted a search.

Those who did search, and the search angels who helped them, took whatever clues they could get from family stories or “non-identifying information” and still faced a mostly insurmountable task. Even successful searches often required years of effort.

Search registries helped IF the birth parent had also registered in the same place. The Internet helped IF you had a parent’s name. But it was the arrival of genetic genealogy DNA tests that really opened doors for adoptees...even those with zero information about their birth parents.

DNA Tests Find Unknown Ancestors

Genetic Genealogy DNA tests were developed for genealogists to confirm family trees and find unknown ancestors.

The first such test of use to adoptees was the Y-DNA test at Family Tree DNA. By testing my Y chromosome, which passes down the direct paternal line from father to son, I identified the surname of my biological father more than ten years ago. This now works for male adoptees nearly 40% of the time. A test of 37- or 67-markers is recommended.

Newer “autosomal” DNA tests, now offered by four testing companies, examine the mix of DNA we receive from our fathers and mothers. Both men and women can test and our genetic matches can come from any branch of our biological family tree going back five generations or so.

These tests are also a great way to confirm suspected relatives. The amount of autosomal DNA we share with someone measures if and how we are related, e.g. full siblings, half siblings, aunt or uncle, first cousin etc.

DNA Databases Reach Critical Mass

For a long time, most adoptees only found distant cousins in the DNA databases. By contacting those matches and exploring online family trees, many persistent pioneers identified a birth parent. A step-by-step methodology developed that others could follow. And clever software developers created and shared online tools to make the process easier.

Then, DNA test prices dropped below $100 and testing companies began to heavily promote the ethnic ancestry reports that come with these tests. As a result, the DNA databases have exploded way beyond the genealogy market.

As of 2017, more than seven million people have done at least one of the four major autosomal DNA tests. If you’re an adoptee, your chances of finding close relatives through DNA testing are good and getting better.

Measuring Current Success Rates

Genetic genealogist Blaine Bettinger recently conducted a survey of more than 1,200 adoptees who did DNA testing in 2015 or 2016. Most of them tested at one or two companies. Here’s a summary of the responses to two key questions:

1.    What was the closest match when you logged into your DNA account(s)?

32% of adoptees saw a half first cousin or closer.

66% saw a half second cousin or closer.

2. Did You Identify a Biological Parent, Sibling, or Half-Sibling as a Result of DNA Testing?

48% of adoptees found a parent, sibling, or half-sibling.

That number rises to 52% for those adopted from the United States and drops to 21% for those adopted from outside the U.S.

Once you are in any of these databases, you will continue to get new matches as more people test. As a result, we can expect success rates to climb even higher over time.

More States Opening Records

In the last few years, several more states have allowed some form of adoptee access to original birth certificates. While much of the credit goes to adoptee rights advocates, publicized DNA success stories have certainly been a factor.

They demonstrate that (1) birth parent identities can no longer be kept hidden and (2) most reunions between adoptees and birth parents have been positive experiences for everyone involved.

Today’s Testing Strategy for Adoptees

Just this year, two of the four autosomal DNA databases began to accept free transfers from others. With that in mind, here is the new, cost-effective strategy for adoptees:

1. You still want to get all the information you can from your original birth certificate or non-identifying information. Such clues can be useful, if you have them.

2. Start with the AncestryDNA test. It has the largest database and the most family trees linked to testers. To take full advantage of the most powerful matching features, you may need to purchase an optional subscription to Ancestry.com.

3. If you don’t get an immediate close match on Ancestry, transfer your raw Ancestry DNA data into the Family Finder test at Family Tree DNA, the MyHeritage DNA test, and a third-party site called gedmatch.com. Your closest relatives may have done a different test and you want to exhaust every possibility of finding them.

4. Order the 23andMe test to get into the last important database. The less expensive Ancestry option is sufficient. The more expensive Health + Ancestry option also provides some genetic health information approved by the FDA in the U.S. and by other regulatory bodies elsewhere.

5. If you are still lacking a close match, explore the methodology, tools, and online classes offered through DNAAdoption.com. These resources can help you work your way from distant cousin matches to your immediate birth family.

6. If you don’t have the time to do that, just wait and keep checking your DNA accounts periodically. A mystery-solving match may show up at any time.

SIDEBAR

Richard Hill did not plan to be a pioneer. He was just an adoptee trying to identify unknown birth parents. Yet his innovative application of DNA testing put him on the front page of The Wall Street Journal in May 2009.

Richard shares the whole story of his search in Finding Family: My Search for Roots and the Secrets in My DNA. His relentless quest to find his birth family takes readers on an exhilarating roller-coaster ride and concludes with a twist that rivals anything Hollywood has to offer.

The book includes a Beginners Guide to DNA Testing

This article was originally published in the November 2017 issue of Adoption Today. You can download a PDF file here.