What is a positive result?

MyHealth: STEP ONE provides information about inherited risks for certain genetic conditions. If you have a positive result, it means that we found a pathogenic, or likely pathogenic, variant in your DNA within one of the genes that we examined. To put it another way, a positive result means that there is a particular arrangement of letters in your DNA that may increase your relative risk of developing certain diseases.
But does a positive result mean that you are guaranteed to develop a disease? Fortunately, no. Having a positive result does not mean that you will develop the condition. It does mean that you have an increased risk when compared to someone who does not have a similar result. If you have a positive result, you should talk to your healthcare provider or a genetic counselor to understand you results, risks, and next steps in terms of appropriate medical management.