Your Family Health History - A DNA Day Activity - Creating Your Pedigree

Sep 11, 2026

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Your Family Health History - A DNA Day Activity guides participants through creating a pedigree, a standardized family-tree drawing used by genetic counselors and medical professionals to assess health patterns. It explains how to collect family information in a respectful way, including ages, deaths, optional physical measures, origins, and key medical histories such as cancers, heart disease, diabetes, mental illness, and genetic conditions. It also outlines core pedigree symbols and rules for recording relationships, adoption, twin types, deceased individuals, and pregnancy loss.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

The Pedigree

What a pedigree is used for

Creating your pedigree: 3 steps

Step 1: Your Family’s Information

Gathering information

Information to include

Step 2: Drawing Your Family Tree

Symbols used for relationships and status

Your Family Health History A DNA Day Activity The Pedigree z A pedigree is a drawing of a family tree z The pedigree is used by genetic counselors and other medical professionals to assess families and try to spot patterns or indications which maybe helpful in diagnosing or managing an individual’s health z Pedigree uses specific symbols and “rules” so no matter who draws it, anyone can read and understand it EXAMPLE [Pedigree from the National Society of Genetic Counselors website:www.nsgc.org](Pedigree from the National Society of Genetic Counselors website:www.nsgc.org) Creating Your Pedigree: 3 Steps z First step: talk to your family! {Ask questions, write down what they say, collect all information possible z Draw a basic outline of your family tree using pedigree symbols z Record the information you gathered on the drawing to complete the pedigree Step 1: Your Family’s Information Gathering Information zWrite a list of all your family members, including: {Parents {Brothers and sisters (include half-siblings) {Children {Grandparents {Aunts and uncles {Cousins {Nieces and nephews DON’T FORGET YOURSELF! Gathering Information z Next to each family member’s name, write down everything you know about their health and medical history z If you can later, ask family members questions and find out as much information as possible z Information about health is a sensitive topic, so if you do talk to family members, make sure to be respectful of this z If you are adopted, you can collect information on either or both your adopted and birth families { A pedigree of your adopted family will not give you much information about your own genetic make-up, but would tell you a lot about the family you are part of. { A pedigree of your birth family will tell you more about your personal genetic history, but it may be more difficult to learn details Information to Include z Age or date of birth (or best guess, e.g. 40’s) z Date of death for family members who have passed away z Height and weight (optional) z For those with medical problems, write down things like if they smoked, diet or exercise habits, etc. z For those with medical conditions, write down how old the person was when they were diagnosed z Where each side of your family comes from originally (e.g. England, Mexico, India, etc. ) z Medical conditions such as: { Cancer { Heart disease { Diabetes { Asthma { Mental illness { High blood pressure { Stroke { Kidney disease { Birth defects (e.g. spina bifida, cleft lip, heart defect) { Learning problems or mental retardation { Vision or hearing loss at a young age { Known genetic conditions, like cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease Step 2: Drawing Your Family Tree Symbols UsedDrawing Male Female Gender unknown A diagonal line through a symbol means a person is deceased Brackets around a symbol and a dashed line leading toit means a person is adopted Non-identical twins Identical twins To save space, you can sometimes write a number inside a symbol instead of drawing each symbol (e.g. three sisters) Pregnancy loss (i.e. miscarriage, stillbirth, elective abortion) P P P P stands for pregnancy – mother carrying a male, female, or unknown gender

FAQs

What is a pedigree and why is it used?

A pedigree is a standardized drawing of a family tree. Genetic counselors and other medical professionals use it to assess families and spot patterns that may help diagnose or manage an individual’s health.

What information should you collect about each family member?

Record age or date of birth (or a best guess), date of death if applicable, optional height and weight, and relevant medical history such as conditions, diagnoses, and lifestyle factors like smoking or diet/exercise habits. Also note where each side of the family originates.

Which pedigree symbols and rules are used when drawing a family tree?

Use specific symbols for male, female, and gender unknown, and apply rules such as a diagonal line for deceased people and brackets with a dashed line for adopted individuals. The guide also includes symbols for twins and for pregnancy loss, with “P” representing pregnancy carrying a male, female, or unknown gender.

Sep 11, 2026

Upload by Aurora