DNA testing. As a female would my DNA tell me where my ancestors originated?

Question:

DNA testing. As a female would my DNA tell me where my ancestors originated?

from, or is it only possible to tell from Male DNA..such as my brothers?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The only DNA testing that is dependent on you being anything other than female is Y - Chromosome testing. While some people are using y-chromosome testing to help determine origin, but in there are many ways to get at the questions of origin. For instance, Mitochondrial DNA is actually a much better way to determine origin in many cases.

Mitochondrial DNA is passed on only by women. (Men have it as well, they get it from their mothers but do not pass it on as sperm have very few mitochondria compared to eggs). Since both sexes can be tested it is also a bit more realistic to use for genetic testing.

Using mitochondrial DNA (especially non-coding regions such as the D-Loop) is a great tool for determining ancestral origin. This is, in a sense, what molecular anthropology is all about.

In the end, there are many ways to determine origin, beyond mitochondrial and Y-chromosome testing, there are also analyses of STRs (short tandem repeats) and other methods based on nuclear DNA, which has no bearing on your sex.

So, the answer to your question is: Yes! Your DNA can be tested to determine your ancestral origin. You do not need to be male unless you are talking only about Y-Chromosome testing and that is very limited anyway.