ABSTRACT
The development of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards in the mid 1970s caused a revolution in the management of infertility and has spawned a series of related techniques all of which are known by strange acronyms (IGI, GIFT, ICSI, etc). These specialised techniques will not be described in detail here but it may be worth pointing out that, while IVF was originally devised for cases of tubal obstruction, the methods are now also employed in many other situations, including unexplained infertility and male sub-fertility.
