Feasibility of Ovum Pick-Up in Cows with Low Efficiency of Embryonic Collection after Superovulatory Treatment

Abstract

Abstract: Ovum pick-up (OPU) was performed for two Japanese Black breeding cows with low efficiency of embryonic collection after superovulatory treatment, and whether or not embryonic productivity was improved by the OPU was reviewed. The number of transferable embryos obtained was 2.3 per embryonic collection, 11.5 in total, from five embryo collections using conventional superovulatory treatment methods. OPU was conducted 2–3 times a month, 12 times in total in five months, for the same two cows at the fifth parity, and in vitro fertilization and culture were conducted thereafter. The number of blastocysts obtained was 19 in total, from 12 times of OPU (1.6 per OPU). Although the number of embryos produced was small per OPU, OPU made it possible to efficiently many embryos, because of multiple operations in a short period. Our results suggest that the embryo productivity of OPU is stable even in donor cows with low efficiency of embryonic productivity after superovulatory treatment.