Lucy Devine
A woman who was given a DNA test as a gift has revealed how she made a heartbreaking discovery after receiving her results.
Home DNA kits have become increasingly popular with those wanting to learn about their ancestry, connect with relatives or discover more about their genetic profiles.
But while taking the tests can arm people with information, there's also the risk of finding something out that you may not necessarily want to know.
Which is exactly what happened to one woman who took a test online.
Advert
Discussing 'DNA test horror stories' on a Reddit thread, people were sharing their experiences when the woman recalled what had happened.
"I found out my dad isn't my biological father," she wrote, explaining that she'd been given the test as a gift from her aunt, who she realised wasn't actually her biological relative, either.
She then discovered her real father was a sperm donor and that she had over 10 half-siblings.
"My parents gas lit me for months saying the results were inaccurate, called me a liar to my sister, all this garbage. Then finally admitted it was true after six months of lying. We now have a terrible relationship," she said.
Another shared a similar experience, adding: "That's how I found my bio father. His wife made everyone in the family test and then when I took the test a couple years later, boom my aunt and father pop up."
And another said: "Did your dad love you and did he accept you as his daughter? Or was he a horrible father? I mean maybe his world got crushed and your parents dealt with it in a horrible way, but maybe they just didn't want to believe that everything they had came falling down."
The woman later clarified that, while she understood why her parents hadn't told her, she couldn't get over the lying.
"I definitely understand why they didn't tell us; it's really the lying and gaslighting that ruined our relationship even more," she added.
"My dad's brother went through the adoption process (difficult time, his son ended up having an addiction at birth) and I'm 95% sure my dad never told his brother anything about his fertility struggles/that we were conceived with a sperm donor. Suffering alone."
Other people shared their own stories, with another person explaining their mom found she had an identical twin, although it wasn't quite what she thought.
"My own mom had a sort of similar funny (to our family) situation - she was matched with an identical twin and freaked out believing it had been secretly adopted out," they explained.
"Because she was born only ten months after her older sister, very much accidental and not wanted, and no one would have known it was twins in 1950, giving away the extra and claiming you only had one wasn't completely implausible.
"She worked up the nerve to check it out and it was... herself. Only then recalled she had already done a DNA test with the rest of the family, years ago, and then not bothered to look at the results."