Fertility of high-yielding dairy cows following superovulation and non-surgical recovery of embryos

Abstract

It was the aim of this investigation to study the combined effect of superovulation and non-surgical recovery on the fertility of the donor animals. Injection of a prostaglandin analogue at the day of collection (days 6–8 after standing heat), significantly shortened the super-ovulatory estrus cycle (21.3 ± 10.0 days), when compared with untreated donor animals (38.7 ± 15.1 days). The prostaglandin treatment, however, also led to more irregular estrous cycles, resulting in a lower pregnancy rate after first insemination (47%) and a need for more inseminations per conception (2.00 ± 1.00), than in animals not treated with prostaglandin analogue (92.3% and 1.06 ± 0.29 AI/conception). For all animals these parameters were 66.6% and 1.60 ± 0.99 AI/conception). The average time from calving to pregnancy was 143.1 ± 34.3 days, slightly longer for prostaglandin treated (148.2 ± 39.4 days) than for untreated animals (137.3 ± 22.8 days). One animal developed endometritis and one had adhesions in the bursa ovarii . It was found that most donors attained normal fertility, and that superovulation was more likely to affect the fertility (abnormal cyclicity, early embryonic mortality e.g.) than the flushing of the uterus. Treatment with a prostaglandin analogue at the day of collection did not improve the subsequent fertility.