Would-be parents can now order a test kit online to check their risk of passing on genetic faults to their baby.
From Thursday, couples planning a family will be able to buy the saliva test, called Tiny Letters, which screens for 145 of the most common and severe genetic disorders.
These include cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, haemophilia B, spinal muscular atropy, Fragile X and haemochromatosis.
The pre-pregnancy kit for an individual costs $900 and for a couple, $1700.
The results take four weeks and are returned by either a genetic counsellor or GP.
As many as one in 25 Caucasians are carriers of cystic fibrosis, a disease that significantly affects the lungs and the pancreas.
However, many people have no idea they carry the "faulty genes" because carriers usually display no symptoms, said the founder of Life Letters, Dr Sam Prince.
It is only when two carriers conceive a child together that there is a 25 per cent risk of that child having cystic fibrosis.
Professor Brian Schmidt, a member of the company's advisory board, said the company is making expensive genetic testing available to everyone.
"I think it's vital this technology is available for everyone to use, including myself," said Prof Schmidt, who was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The company is also selling a product called Script Letters, which analyses how a person's genes impact the effectiveness of common medicines, such as analgesics, statins and anti-depressants.
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