• using street drugs - you are strongly advised to stop completely. THINK ABOUT

• Immunization against hepatitis в if you are at increased risk of getting this infection;

- immunization against chickenpox if you are a healthcare worker and have not previously had chickenpox and so are not immune;

• whether to continue with herbal and over-the-counter medicines;

• your work environment - is it safe?

• medical conditions in yourself, or conditions which run in your family.

Exercise 7. Find words in the text that match the definitions:

• a liver disease;

• two sexually transmitted diseases;

• a metal that is poisonous in large amounts;

• three conditions caused by allergy;

• Illegal drugs;

• drugs sold in a chemist's.

Exercise 8. Discuss the questions with a partner.

• Did any of the pieces of advice surprise you?

• Do you know of any other advice that is not included here?

- In your country, what foods do pregnant women eat to help their baby develop healthily?

The other report issued last week focuses attention on the Fallopian tubes, the narrow passages that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus. Women whose tubes are clogged with scar tissue or other obstructions cannot conceive by natural means because their eggs have no way of getting to the womb. In the past, such women had to undergo surgery to have their tubes cleared. Now the problem can be overcome in a doctor's office, according to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. With a tiny balloon similar to those used to clear blocked arteries, scientists were able to unclog the Fallopian tubes in 64 of 77 women, 22 became pregnant within a year. Dr. Edmond Confino, who pioneered the technique at Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center in Chicago, estimates that it could help nearly one third of the 1 million American women who suffer from blocked tubes.

The new methods join an array of novel techniques that seem to multiply faster than test-tube babies. Most are variations on the pioneering procedure known an in vitro fertilization. In IVF, eggs are removed from the ovaries, mixed with sperm in a laboratory dish, allowed to develop into embryos and then inserted into the uterus. But even at well-run clinics, the original IVF procedure fails 75 % to 85 % of the time. The biggest snag comes when the embryo is inserted in the uterus, an operation that can be very disruptive to the womb. As a result, such embryos often fail to take root, or implant. To increase the chances of implantation, many doctors are now inserting egg and sperm into the Fallopian tube, a procedure known as GIFT (for gamete intra-fallopian transfer). Fertilization takes place not in a laboratory dish but in the Fallopian tube, as it would naturally, and the resulting embryo drifts gently into the uterus, where it is much more likely to be successfully received. In yet another variation, called ZIFT (for zygote intra-fallopian transfer), the sperm are allowed to fertilize the eggs before transfer to the Fallopian tube. The advantage: only those eggs that are successfully fertilized need be transferred. GIFT and ZIFT have turned out to be breakthrough procedures. Some doctors who have switched from standard IVF to the new techniques have doubled their success rates, which now approach 50 %. As the odds have improved, the demand for IVF has surged, despite the high cost (up to $ 8,000 a try) and the uneven quality of the clinics offering the service.

Exercise 3. Describe the way IVF is performed.

Exercise 4. Express your own attitude towards the problem of test-tube babies.

Exercise 5. Choose English equivalents of the Ukrainian words.

1) Майбутні батьки; 2) першокласні клініки; 3) перепона; 4) незважаючи на велику вартість; 5) найбільша перепона (труднощі); 6) зморщуватися/усихати, як родзинки; 7) укорінюватися, приживлятися; 8) у однієї був викидень; 9) мертвонароджена дитина; 10) робити продування (чистку) труб.

(а - the hitch; b-to take root; c- one miscarried; d-to shrivel like raisins; e-a stillborn baby; f - well-run clinics; g- to have tubes cleared; h - despite the high cost; і - the biggest ••nag; j - would-be parents)

Exercise 6. Choose antonyms of the words.