IVF is a fertilisation technique where the egg cells are fertilised by the sperm outside the mothers womb. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods fail. The technique was developed by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards, and first used for humans on July 25, 1978, which was the date of the first test tube baby.
Artificial Insemination is when sperm is placed into a females uterus or cervix using artificial means rather than by natural copulation. Modern techniques for artificial insemination were first developed for the dairy cattle industry to allow many cows to be impregnated with the sperm of a bull with traits for improved milk production. Artificial insemination has actually been around for longer than people think. In 1677 the Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek saw spermatozoa through the microscope, and around 100 years later, in 1780, an Italian priest and physiology named Lazzaro Spallanzani showed that their must be a link between the sperm and egg.