# Whole genome sequencing: All of your DNA, read once

> What whole genome sequencing reads, the inherited risks and medicine genes it can find, how it differs from a DNA chip test like 23andMe, what it can’t tell you and what to do with a serious finding.

- Price: $599, the whole cost
- Sample: a cheek swab at home
- Your report in about 3 to 4 weeks
- Order: [Order whole genome sequencing](https://app.picardo.health/genome/order?ref=guide-whole-genome-sequencing)
- Web page: https://picardo.health/guides/whole-genome-sequencing

Whole genome sequencing reads nearly all of the roughly 3 billion letters of your DNA, from a cheek swab.[1] For most healthy adults the useful results fall into two groups. A few people learn about an inherited risk they can act on. Nearly everyone learns something about how their body handles common medicines. Here’s what it finds, what it misses and what to do with the results.

## The short answer

Whole genome sequencing can find rare inherited risks, such as a BRCA1 variant or Lynch syndrome, that most people who carry them don’t know about.[3] It also reads the genes that change how you respond to some common medicines.[4] It shows risk, not a diagnosis, and a clinical test should confirm anything serious before you act on it.

- **What it reads:** Nearly all of your DNA, each letter read about 30 times over on average, so the lab can tell a real change from a misread.[1][2]
- **How often it finds something:** In a Nevada study of about 27,000 adults, about 1 in 75 carried a variant for one of three serious inherited conditions, and about 90% of them didn’t know.[3] Most people have a gene that changes how they respond to at least one medicine.[4]
- **What it can’t do:** Diagnose a disease, or rule one out. Some kinds of DNA change are hard to read, so nothing found doesn’t mean no risk.[2]
- **What it costs:** $599, once. Your DNA doesn’t change, and the lab re-checks it as research is published, so the report keeps up for life.

## What whole genome sequencing can find

Your report puts findings first, anything that bears on your own health, and then lists each body system it checked. Here’s each part, and how often it turns something up.

### 1. Inherited disease risks

In the report: Findings.

Variants in genes linked to serious conditions you can do something about, such as hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2), Lynch syndrome, which raises the risk of colon and other cancers, familial hypercholesterolemia, and inherited heart muscle and rhythm conditions. The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics keeps a list of the genes where a finding has a clear next step, such as earlier screening or treatment.[5]

About 1 in 75 people carry a variant for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, Lynch syndrome or familial hypercholesterolemia alone.[3]

### 2. How you respond to medicines

In the report: Medicines.

Genes that change how your body handles common medicines, such as clopidogrel, codeine, some statins and some antidepressants, each matched to published dosing guidance.[6] It also reports your HLA types, which can flag a risk of a serious reaction to a few drugs, such as abacavir and carbamazepine.[6]

Almost everyone has at least one. In the UK Biobank, 99.5% of people had a variant that could change how they respond to a medicine, and nearly 1 in 4 had been prescribed one it affects.[4]

### 3. Conditions you could pass on

In the report: Carrier results.

Whether you carry one copy of a variant for a recessive condition, such as cystic fibrosis. Carriers are usually healthy. If both parents carry the same condition, each child has a 1 in 4 chance of having it.[7]

These results cover the conditions the evidence is clear for, not every one, so they aren’t a complete carrier screen.

### 4. New findings as research changes

In the report: Test details.

What’s known about a variant changes. When one large lab re-checked variants it had called uncertain, about 9 in 10 of those it changed turned out to be harmless.[8] The lab re-checks your genome as research is published and updates your report. Your raw data files (FASTQ, VCF and gVCF) are yours to download.

## Whole genome sequencing vs a DNA chip test like 23andMe

Most consumer DNA tests, such as 23andMe and AncestryDNA, use a chip that checks a fixed list of several hundred thousand spots, chosen because the variants there are common.[9] That works for ancestry and common traits. But the variants behind serious inherited risks are rare, and chips get rare variants wrong. In the UK Biobank, only about 1 in 25 of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 variants a chip reported were real.[9]

|  | Whole genome sequencing | DNA chip test |
| --- | --- | --- |
| What it reads | Nearly all of your 3 billion letters[1] | A fixed list of several hundred thousand spots[9] |
| Rare variants, such as BRCA1 | Reads them directly | Often misses them or reports ones that aren’t there[9] |
| New research | Your whole genome can be re-checked | Limited to the spots on the chip |
| Best for | Inherited risks and medicines | Ancestry and relatives |

A clinical gene test, ordered by a doctor or genetic counselor, reads a set of genes chosen for you. It’s how a finding from either is confirmed.

## What whole genome sequencing can’t tell you

It’s the most complete DNA test you can buy, and it still has limits. Knowing them keeps a result from reading as more, or less, than it is.

- **Whether you have a disease:** A finding raises your risk. It doesn’t mean you have the disease or will get it, and most cancers aren’t caused by an inherited variant at all. Only about 5% to 10% are.[13]
- **That you’re in the clear:** Some kinds of change, such as long repeated stretches and some rearrangements, are hard for this kind of sequencing to read.[2] If heart disease or cancer runs in your family, that still counts, whatever the report says.
- **Every condition you could pass on:** Carrier results cover some recessive conditions, not all. If you’re planning a pregnancy, ask about a dedicated carrier screen.
- **When to change a medicine:** Medicine results are for whoever prescribes for you to weigh. Don’t start, stop or change a medicine because of them.

## What to do if it finds something serious

Most people won’t get a serious finding. If you do, there’s rarely a rush, and these are the usual next steps.

1. **Get it confirmed:** Before you act on it, have a clinical lab confirm the variant. When a clinical lab checked variants from consumer DNA tests, 40% weren’t there.[10]
2. **Talk to a genetic counselor:** They can explain what it means for you, arrange the confirming test and plan screening or treatment with your clinician.[11] Many see patients by video. [Find a genetic counselor](https://findageneticcounselor.nsgc.org/).
3. **Tell your family:** Each of your children has a 1 in 2 chance of inheriting a dominant variant.[12] You most likely got it from a parent, so your brothers and sisters may carry it too, and testing them for that one variant is simpler than sequencing.

## How to get whole genome sequencing, and what it costs

Picardo offers 30x whole genome sequencing from Level Genomics, a genome sequencing lab, for $599. That’s the whole cost, once. Level re-checks your genome as research is published, and your report updates in the app.

- **Whole genome sequencing, $599:** Your whole genome from a cheek swab at home, read about 30 times over, with updates for life and your raw data. Best if you want to know your inherited risks and how you respond to medicines, once, for life. [Order whole genome sequencing](https://app.picardo.health/genome/order?ref=guide-whole-genome-sequencing)

1. **Order online:** $599, the whole cost. The kit usually ships the next business day.
2. **Swab your cheek:** At home, when the kit arrives. Seal the tube and send it back in the return mailer.
3. **Get your report:** In the Picardo app about 3 to 4 weeks after the lab gets your sample, read alongside your blood tests and medicines. Ask Picardo what any of it means.

The kit comes with:

- Ships the next business day
- A cheek swab at home, no blood draw
- Your report in about 3 to 4 weeks, in the app
- Updates for life, and your raw data

## Questions people ask

### What is whole genome sequencing?

A lab reads nearly all of your DNA, about 3 billion letters, rather than a chosen set of spots or genes.[1] At 30x, each letter is read about 30 times on average, which lets the lab tell a real change from a misread.[2]

### How much does whole genome sequencing cost?

Through Picardo, $599 for 30x sequencing from Level Genomics. That’s the whole cost, and it includes updates as research is published and your raw data.

### Is whole genome sequencing worth it if I’m healthy?

It depends what you want from it. About 1 in 75 people carry a variant for one of three serious inherited conditions they could act on, and most don’t know.[3] Almost everyone has a gene that changes how they respond to a medicine.[4] If you’d rather not know about inherited risks, think about that before you order. You can’t unlearn a result.[11]

### How is whole genome sequencing different from 23andMe?

A chip test like 23andMe checks a fixed list of several hundred thousand spots and is built for ancestry and common traits. Whole genome sequencing reads nearly all 3 billion letters, so it finds rare variants that chips miss or get wrong. In one large study, only about 1 in 25 of the BRCA variants chips reported were real.[9]

### Can whole genome sequencing tell me my cancer risk?

It can find inherited variants that raise the risk of some cancers, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 for breast and ovarian cancer and Lynch syndrome for colon cancer.[5] Only about 5% to 10% of cancers come from an inherited variant, so it doesn’t replace screening such as mammograms or colonoscopy.[13]

### Will my results affect my insurance?

In the US, a federal law called GINA stops health insurers, and employers with 15 or more employees, from using your genetic information. It doesn’t cover life, disability or long-term care insurance, so if you plan to buy one of those, consider doing it before you test.[14]

### How long do results take?

The kit usually ships the next business day. Your report is ready about 3 to 4 weeks after the lab gets your sample, and it appears in the Picardo app.

### Do I still need blood tests?

Yes. Your genes show what you were born with; blood tests show what’s happening now. A familial hypercholesterolemia variant matters because of what it does to your LDL cholesterol, which only a blood test measures. Picardo reads your report alongside your blood tests.

### Can I download my raw data?

Yes. Your FASTQ, VCF and gVCF files are yours to download from the app, so you can take them to a genetic counselor or another service.

## Sources

1. Nurk S, Koren S, Rhie A, et al. The complete sequence of a human genome. Science. 2022;376(6588):44–53. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj6987
2. Marshall CR, Chowdhury S, Taft RJ, et al. Best practices for the analytical validation of clinical whole-genome sequencing intended for the diagnosis of germline disease. NPJ Genom Med. 2020;5:47. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41525-020-00154-9
3. Grzymski JJ, Elhanan G, Morales Rosado JA, et al. Population genetic screening efficiently identifies carriers of autosomal dominant diseases. Nat Med. 2020;26(8):1235–1239. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-0982-5
4. McInnes G, Lavertu A, Sangkuhl K, Klein TE, Whirl-Carrillo M, Altman RB. Pharmacogenetics at scale: an analysis of the UK Biobank. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2021;109(6):1528–1537. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpt.2122
5. Lee K, Abul-Husn NS, Amendola LM, et al. ACMG SF v3.3 list for reporting of secondary findings in clinical exome and genome sequencing: a policy statement of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG). Genet Med. 2025;27(8):101454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gim.2025.101454
6. Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC). CPIC guidelines. Accessed October 29, 2026. https://cpicpgx.org/guidelines/
7. MedlinePlus. Autosomal recessive. National Library of Medicine. Accessed October 29, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002052.htm
8. Mersch J, Brown N, Pirzadeh-Miller S, et al. Prevalence of variant reclassification following hereditary cancer genetic testing. JAMA. 2018;320(12):1266–1274. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2018.13152
9. Weedon MN, Jackson L, Harrison JW, et al. Use of SNP chips to detect rare pathogenic variants: retrospective, population based diagnostic evaluation. BMJ. 2021;372:n214. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n214
10. Tandy-Connor S, Guiltinan J, Krempely K, et al. False-positive results released by direct-to-consumer genetic tests highlight the importance of clinical confirmation testing for appropriate patient care. Genet Med. 2018;20(12):1515–1521. https://doi.org/10.1038/gim.2018.38
11. National Society of Genetic Counselors. Consumer-initiated genetic testing position statement. Revised November 2025. Accessed October 29, 2026. https://www.nsgc.org/Advocacy/Position-Statements/Product-Details/consumer-initiated-genetic-testing-position-statement
12. MedlinePlus. Autosomal dominant. National Library of Medicine. Accessed October 29, 2026. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002049.htm
13. National Cancer Institute. Genetic testing for inherited cancer risk. Accessed October 29, 2026. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics/genetic-testing-fact-sheet
14. National Human Genome Research Institute. Genetic discrimination. Accessed October 29, 2026. https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/policy-issues/Genetic-Discrimination

Updated 2026-10-29. This is general health information, not medical advice: talk to your clinician about your results and before changing any treatment.