CGS-authored

Want to find out your baby's gender? Or who the father is? What about whether you possess a gene that makes you more likely to get cancer?

These are all tests that now can be taken in the comfort of your own home.

Consumer Genetics Inc., a Sunnyvale company formed last year, is one of a growing number of companies capitalizing on advances in DNA testing that make it possible for consumers to collect a genetic sample at home and send it back to the company for testing. Costs can range from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000.

Last week, Consumer Genetics added paternity testing to its growing suite of DNA tests, which includes the "Pink or Blue" test, designed to reveal a baby's gender by the seventh week of pregnancy.

Consumer Genetics' paternity test, which is not the only home paternity product on the market, requires a cheek swab from the baby and the possible father. But the test also allows mothers to test their baby's paternity without the suspected father's knowledge.

"You can use chewed gum...