How to Find Biological Father Through DNA

By ⁠Dr. Brandon Colby MD, a physician-expert in the fields of Genomics and Personalized Preventive Medicine.

If you’re looking for your biological father and you’re hoping a DNA test can help you, you’re in luck. DNA testing is an effective way to find biological family members.

Many people in our situation turn to the autosomal DNA test offered by testing companies such as 23andMe, MyHeritage, and AncestryDNA. Along with the DNA data they receive, they also receive DNA matches.

The database on the DNA testing company’s website is used to compared DNA data. When parts of DNA match, they identify the people they belong to, which is how many people find their biological parents.

Even when a database on an ancestry-related DNA testing company’s site doesn’t have the match someone is looking for, the information can be used to create a family tree. Many adoptees use the Family Tree Builder from MyHeritage to start filling in the blanks. 

As people find close relatives through the various ⁠genetic genealogy sites, they get closer to finding their biological father through their DNA.

How Genealogists Use DNA to Find a Biological Father

Genealogists have been using DNA to find a birth mother or birth father for many years. They have also used it to learn more about a person’s family history.

Genealogists used to have to search ⁠DNA genealogy databases that weren’t as populated as they are now. That’s why they had to count on many other ways to collect information - sometimes traveling the world to collect information.

With the advent of sites like ancestry.com, genealogists can sit in front of a computer in their home to do their research. They can even see records that they once had to travel millions of miles away for because they have been scanned and stored online.

How does this help adoptive parents?

DNA and adoption go hand-in-hand. Adoptive parents who want to help their adopted child find their biological relatives can do a lot these days without the help of a genealogist. With a simple DNA test, they can search DNA databases online to find their adopted child’s birth parents.

In addition to finding the child’s biological mother and father through DNA, they learn more about their child’s ethnicity through the close matches that come up from the DNA results.

What to Do to Start Your Search

The very first thing you should do is get started on your genetic genealogy research. Collect as much information as possible about what you know about your biological family. This will help you fill in any information you can’t find later in your search.

The next step is to take DNA test, ordered from a DNA company. You can choose from Family Tree DNA, ancestryDNA test, MyHeritage (read our ⁠MyHeritage review), Sequencing.com, or one of the others that are available online.

Once you get your test kit, be sure to read the instructions completely. It’s important to take the test correctly so you can ensure the accuracy of your DNA test results.

After a few weeks, you will receive your DNA data along with shared matches. You will receive information about your paternal line (father’s side) and maternal line (mother’s side). As you review the results, you may even discover other unknown relatives from your birth family on your match list.

Many people have even learned of half-siblings such half sisters and half brothers, first cousins, and even great-grandparents by taking a DNA test online.

Buy a Whole Genome Sequencing test

Sequencing.com has a $399 whole genome sequencing test that obtains data on all 30,000 genes.

The ⁠whole genome sequencing test will analyze your entire genome, so you can receive much more than just information that will help you find your biological father - it can shed light on genetic diseases, medication responses, and even what you need to eat and do to lose weight.

The Marketplace has many different analysis apps, and some are even free.

Learn More: ⁠What Can Whole Genome Sequencing Detect

If you’ve already purchased a DNA test, you can upload your DNA data to Sequencing.com and use it with any of the apps we have available. This will give you more information than what you received from the DNA testing company you tested with, which can again, help you find your biological father or learn more about your genetic makeup.

About The Author

⁠Dr. Brandon Colby MD is a US physician specializing in the personalized prevention of disease through the use of genomic technologies. He’s an expert in genetic testing, genetic analysis, and precision medicine. Dr. Colby is also the Founder of Sequencing.com and the author of Outsmart Your Genes.

Dr. Colby holds an MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, and a degree in Genetics with Honors from the University of Michigan. He is an Affiliate Specialist of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (⁠ACMG), an Associate of the American College of Preventive Medicine (⁠ACPM), and a member of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (⁠NSGC).