Ancestry® uses a saliva sample to process your DNA. Remember to register your kit before submitting your sample.
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When collecting your sample:
- Brush your teeth and/or use mouthwash.
- Don’t eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum or tobacco for 30 minutes after brushing your teeth and before providing your saliva sample.
- Gently rub your cheeks from the outside (pressing them against your teeth and gums) before spitting into the tube.
- If you can’t produce enough saliva in one try, set your tube in upright in a refrigerator and try again later. Saliva can be refrigerated for up to a week before it needs to be added to the stabilizing fluid in the tube.
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Spit into the tube until your saliva reaches the wavy black line.
Fill the tube until saliva (not bubbles) reaches the top of the black line. It’s fine for bubbles to extend above the line. The stabilizing fluid in the tube protects the sample. Over-filling or under-filling the tube can mess up the ratio of saliva to stabilizing liquid.
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Remove the funnel from the tube and replace it with the cap that contains the blue stabilizing fluid.
Do not drink the fluid in the lid. Wash with water if the blue stabilizing fluid comes into contact with your skin, eyes, or mouth.
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Twist the cap tightly to release the blue stabilizing fluid into your saliva.
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Shake the tube for five seconds to ensure that your saliva mixes with the blue fluid.
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Seal the tube in the collection bag that came with the kit.
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Put the collection bag in the return mailer and put the mailer in the mail.
Return postage is already paid for, so just seal the box and send it back. In most cases, you should receive your results within 6 weeks of the date the we receive your sample.
Troubleshooting
Stabilizing fluid doesn’t drain into bottom of tube
If you close the tube and the blue fluid doesn’t release into the bottom, carefully screw the cap tighter until the blue fluid drains into the bottom of the tube.
Difficulty producing enough saliva
If you can’t produce enough saliva in one try, deposit a little saliva into the tube and refrigerate it until you can add more. Repeat until saliva reaches the line on the tube. The laboratory does not test blood or hair samples.
Lost or damaged kit
If a kit has been lost or damaged, contact us to replace it.
Old kit or sample
Once your sample is mixed with stabilizing fluid, send it back as soon as you can. But even if it's been a while, send your sample back anyway. The stabilizing fluid preserves your DNA, so as long as your saliva is mixed with the stabilizing fluid, it should work. We'll replace the kit if the laboratory can't extract enough DNA from your sample.
Missing collection bag or return shipping mailer
If you're missing a collection bag or return shipping mailer, you can use your own. Replace the collection bag with a Ziploc-type bag and place it in the return shipping mailer. If you’re shipping the sample using your own box, address the shipment here:
From inside the U.S.
Ancestry
1226 S 630 E Ste 1
American Fork, UT 84003
From outside the U.S.
AncestryDNA®
Shannon Free Zone
Shannon, Co. Clare
V14 HN40
Ireland