Navigenics patient FAQs

The boxes on the overview page show an individual’s estimated lifetime risk based on the genetic risk markers they have compared to the average lifetime risk for a person of their gender in the general population. Boxes are grouped in columns with lifetime risk depicted across the horizontal access.

Each condition is color-coded gray or orange based on a comparison of the individual’s estimated lifetime risk and the average lifetime risk. Orange indicates an overall lifetime risk greater than 25 percent (to call attention to conditions with an elevated absolute risk) or risk that is more than 20 percent above average for that particular condition (to call attention to an increased relative risk for less common conditions).

SNPs stand for single nucleotide polymorphisms – these are single letter changes in the DNA code that in this case have been found to be associated with certain health conditions. Navigenics assesses your DNA code to determine at any particular location whether you have a risk marker or a non-risk marker. You inherited your genetic markers from your parents so at any particular location in your DNA code you may have inherited 0, 1, or 2 copies of the risk marker.

Navigenics provides you with access to Genetic Counselors who can discuss your genetic test results and the conditions we test for. However, your Genetic Counselor will not give you specific medical advice. For medical advice, you should consult your health care provider.

We encourage individuals to read the information on the website and discuss their concerns and a plan of action with their physicians. Individuals may also wish to consult a Navigenics Genetic Counselor to discuss their genetic test results.

The Navigenics genetic testing services are designed to uncover conditions for which you may be at increased risk based on your genetic risk markers, but they are not diagnostic. Based on your genetic profile, a genetic test may tell you that your chances are higher than the general population, but many factors both genetic and environmental contribute to the development of disease. Knowing your genetic risk to certain medical conditions can lead to early screening, increased awareness, and lifestyle changes that may reduce your likelihood of getting these conditions in your lifetime.

No, since there are many factors (both genetic and environmental) that contribute to disease, a gray box does not mean that you are safe from developing that condition. It means that you have a lower risk based on the genetic risk markers that were assessed, but there may be other genetic factors (known or unknown) and environmental factors that could increase your risk for that condition. It is still important to learn about those conditions and discuss your personal and family history with your physician or genetic counselor.

The Navigenics genetic testing services inform about risks based on known, common genetic factors, but do not take into account other key information that should be considered in risk assessment like your personal or family history. Family history should be reviewed with your healthcare provider (physician or genetic counselor) to determine whether there are additional risk factors and to determine whether other genetic testing for rare mutations is indicated.

All of the conditions on the Health Compass panel have both a genetic and environmental component. Lifestyle factors may play a significant role in the development of certain conditions, like lung cancer, obesity, diabetes, and many others. Individuals may be able to mitigate their risks for conditions by following healthy lifestyle recommendations.

As a member of our Navigenics Health Compass genetic testing service, you receive updated results for the length of your membership. As a result, we expect that your lifetime risk numbers will likely change as new SNPs are discovered and incorporated into your Health Compass genetic test results.

Your membership includes all updates regarding new SNPs, conditions, and all related information for the year. After the year, it is $199 to re-subscribe for continued updates and access to your information.

For any one SNP, relatives may share that SNP in common (50% chance for siblings and children), but that relatives’ genetic risk markers cannot be easily ascertained without performing a genomic scan, especially because most conditions have multiple SNPs and there are environmental factors associated with each condition.

In some cases additional genetic tests may be indicated. Personal and family history assessment may inform whether additional genetic tests either to confirm a diagnosis or to determine the presence of a rare mutation are warranted. For example, a family history of early-onset breast cancer may warrant genetic testing for mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2.

No. Our genetic testing services assess for common genetic risk markers that are associated with breast cancer. Mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 are less common in the population and are only present in approximately five to 10 percent of families with breast and ovarian cancer.

Individuals 18 and older can be tested. Navigenics does not offer genetic testing to children under age 18.

There are two key factors that determine your overall risk estimate – the effect of a genetic variant in your ancestral population and how often the variant occurs in that population.

Most genome-wide association studies (the science on which Navigenics' service is based) have only been performed on people of European ancestry. Relatively few studies have been conducted in other ancestral groups, or in mixed-ancestry individuals. These studies generally show that the effects of genetic variants included in the Navigenics genetic testing services are the same across ancestral groups. That means if you are found to have increased or decreased risk for a specific condition, that should not change based on your ancestry.

However, the overall amount of increased or decreased risk may vary based on how commonly or uncommonly the variation occurs. Keep in mind that when we compare your risk to that of the general population, this is how you compare to a Caucasian reference population, not necessarily a population of your own ancestry. Our reference population currently is made up of Americans of European descent from the International HapMap Project, the largest publicly available genetic database. As data on more reference populations become available, we anticipate that we will be able to compare you to a reference group that more closely resembles your own ancestry.

Also, please note that some diseases may be more common in your ancestral groups than in our Caucasian reference population, such as prostate cancer, which is more common in those of African ancestry than Caucasian ancestry . For these diseases, your genetic test results report will include special considerations to note based on ancestry.

As a member of our Navigenics Health Compass service, you'll also receive updates over time as scientific discoveries continue to inform our understanding of how genetic variants relate to specific ancestries, and how this knowledge may, or may not, impact your genetic test results.

Yes. Navigenics has built in automated technology as well as operational practices, applying the most current technology to protect your information. We operate consistent with HIPAA practices and build them into our infrastructure. We have multiple levels of security to deter external access to personal information, and our staff comes from leading companies that have set the standards for data security in a number of industries. All customers must provide authenticating information when they call Member Service.

The new Genetic Non-Discrimination Act (GINA) as well as state laws prohibits health insurance and employers from using your genetic information. Health insurers cannot use your genetic test results to deny you health coverage or set the price you pay for health insurance. Insurers also cannot ask you or require you to take a genetic test. GINA also prohibits employers from using your genetic information to make hiring and salary decisions or set other job-related policies. Employers cannot require you to take a genetic test as part of starting or performing a job, except in very limited circumstances to protect worker safety. GINA's protections do not apply to other types of health-related insurance, such as life insurance or long-term care coverage. In addition, GINA only safeguards genetic testing and genetic information. GINA does not apply to a person who has been clinically diagnosed with a genetic disease. Other federal protections, however, may apply in that situation.