Number Of Ejaculations Research Articles

Effects of cabergoline and dimethylcabergoline on the sexual behavior of male rats.

Cabergoline (CAB) is an ergot derivative typically prescribed for the treatment of hyperprolactinemia. It suppresses the release of prolactin through agonist actions on dopamine (DA) D2 receptors; however, it possesses binding affinity for other DA and 5-HT receptors. Side effects that exacerbate valvular heart disease can occur with high doses. The present study examined the acute, subchronic, and chronic dose-response effects of CAB and a derivative dimethylcabergoline (DMC) which acts as an antagonist instead of agonist at 5-HT 2B receptors, on appetitive and consummatory sexual behaviors of male rats. CAB (0, 0.03, 0.15, or 0.3mg/kg/ml) was administered daily to sexually experienced male rats (N = 10/dose) by oral gavage for a total of 68days. Sexual behavior was tested every 4days during this period for a total of 16 trials. On the 17th trial, rats were administered their dose of CAB, and 4h after were overdosed with sodium pentobarbital, perfused intracardially, and their brains processed for Fos immunohistochemistry. DMC (0, 0.03, 0.15, 0.3mg/kg/ml) was administered daily to sexually experienced male rats (N = 10/dose) by oral gavage for a total of 36days. Sexual behavior was tested every 4days for a total of 9 trials. CAB increased anticipatory level changes, intromissions, and ejaculations significantly across all timepoints, with the medium and high doses being most potent. The medium and high doses also increased Fos protein significantly within the medial preoptic area, whereas in the nucleus accumbens shell, the low and medium doses decreased Fos protein but the high dose increased it significantly from control. Similar to CAB, the medium and high doses of DMC increased the number of ejaculations significantly. Rats in all drug dose groups appeared healthy for the duration of the experiments. Both CAB and DMC facilitate ejaculations, and CAB further facilitates measures of anticipatory sexual motivation and intromissions. These data suggest that both could be used as treatments for sexual arousal disorders and ejaculation/orgasm disorders with little or no untoward side effects at low doses.

Fresh Semen Quality of Bos taurus, Bos indicus and Bos sondaicus Bulls in the Tropical Condition

This study aimed to assess the effect of genetic and seasonal interaction on semen quality in the Artificial Insemination Center. A total of 36,754 ejaculation records were evaluated. The dependent variable was semen quality which consisted of volume, pH, concentration, abnormalities, and motility of fresh semen. The independent variables consisted of age, season, and number of ejaculation. The mixed procedure with Tukey–Kramer multiple comparison test was used to analyze the effect of interaction between the variables. Seasonal factors significantly affected concentration, fresh semen motility, and abnormality, but did not affect pH and volume. Age factor had a significant effect on all semen quality variables. The ejaculation factor significantly affected pH, volume, concentration, and fresh semen motility, but did not affect abnormality. The species factor significantly affected pH, concentration, and fresh semen motility, but did not affect volume and abnormality.

A new approach to 'on-demand' treatment of lifelong premature ejaculation by treatment with a combination of a 5-HT1A receptor antagonist and SSRI in rats.

Lifelong premature ejaculation (PE) in men lacks an adequate on-demand pharmacological treatment. Although selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used for PE they only work after chronic treatment, or if used on-demand, less adequately than chronic SSRI treatment. It has been shown that the addition of a behaviorally silent 5-HT1A-receptor antagonist to an SSRI can generate acute inhibitory effects on male rat sexual behavior. Atlas987 is a selective 5-HT1A-receptor antagonist with equal potency to displace agonist and antagonist binding to pre- and post-synaptic 5-HT1A receptors in rat and human brain. To investigate whether Atlas987 together with the SSRI paroxetine, a combination called Enduro, induces acute inhibitory effects on male rat sexual behavior, we tested Enduro in Wistar rats in a dose-dependent manner. We first tested the 5-HT1A receptor antagonist Atlas987 in 8-OH-DPAT induced serotonergic behavior in rats. Second, we tested Enduro in a dose-dependent manner in male sexual behavior. Third, we tested the effective time window of Enduro's action, and lastly, we measured the plasma levels of Atlas987 and paroxetine over an 8-h period. Results showed that Enduro acutely and dose-dependently reduced the number of ejaculations and increased the ejaculation latencies. The behavioral pattern induced reflected a specific effect on sexual behavior excluding non-specific effects like sedation or sensoric-motoric disturbances. The time-window of activity of Enduro showed that this sexual inhibitory activity was at least found in a 1-4 h' time window after administration. Plasma levels showed that in this time frame both Atlas987 and paroxetine are present. In conclusion, in rats, Enduro is successful in acutely inhibiting sexual behavior. These results may be therapeutically attractive as "on demand" treatment for life-long premature ejaculation in men.

Effects on Herd Efficiency of Sexual Experience and Behavioral Characteristics of Saanen X Hair Male Goat Based On Age

Effects on Herd Efficiency of Sexual Experience and Behavioral Characteristics of Saanen X Hair Male Goat Based On Age

Semen quality of progeny-tested breeding bulls maintained at the National Artificial Insemination Centre, Arusha, Tanzania

The success or failure of artificial insemination (AI) depends on the quality of semen used. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of breed, age, collection period, and ejaculate number on semen quality collected from 15 breeding bulls available at the centre with different ages (4 Friesian, 4 Ayrshire, 3 Jersey, 2 Simmental and 2 Boran breeds) maintained at National Artificial Insemination Center (NAIC), Arusha, Tanzania. A total of 600 ejaculates were collected for four weeks per month consecutively from January to May 2022, weekly per bull and twice a day; morning (6.00 - 9.00 AM) and evening (3.00 - 6.00 PM) sessions). The ejaculates were first examined visually for volume, color, foreign bodies, and consistency whereas sperm concentration (SPC), progressive motility (PM) and total motility (TM) were assessed using Computer Assisted Semen Analysis System (CASA). Viability/vitality (SPVI) and morphology (SPNR) of sperms were analyzed microscopically after staining with Eosin-Nigrosin. Data were subjected to SAS program and results showed that ejaculate volume, progressive motility, total motility, sperm viability, and morphology were significantly (P<0.05) affected by age and collection period. Simmental, Friesian, and Ayrshire bulls produced more voluminous semen than Jersey and Boran bulls. Jersey bulls had higher (P<0.05) sperm concentrations and live spermatozoa as compared to other bulls. Boran and Jersey's bulls exhibited higher PM and TM than the other bulls. The period of semen collection (morning versus evening) negatively affected semen volume, total motility, and semen viability in which morning harvests performed better than evening collections. Middle aged bulls (3-5 years) produced semen of higher quality compared to other groups (< 3 years and > 5 years old bulls). In conclusion, age, breed, period of semen production and ejaculate number revealed significant effect on bovine semen characteristics.

Effects of a recipe based on three leafy vegetables consumed in Brazzaville on the reproductive function of the wistar rat

Spinacia oleracea, Amaranthus hybridus of the Chenopodiaceae family and Brassica campestris of the Brassicaceae family are vegetables consumed in Brazzaville for their nutritional virtues. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of the recipe based on these three leafy vegetables on reproductive functions. The recipe at doses of 250, 500 and 1000 mg/Kg was administered to male and female rats. The aphrodisiac effects of the recipe in males were evaluated on the numbers of sexual mounts, erections, ejaculations, and latency time; and the estrogenic activities in females, based on the variation of the sexual cycle, the state of the vaginal meatus and the cervical mucus. On acute toxicity, the results show that the aqueous extract (EA) of the recipe does not alter the general condition and behaviour of mice, and no mortality was recorded. In male rats the 500 mg/Kg recipe extract significantly increased the number of sexual mounts, erections, and ejaculations; and decreased the latency time. In females, the 500 mg/kg dose of the extract caused blocking of the cycle in oestrus and pro-oestrus, with increased cervical mucus and vaginal opening. Estradiol levels were also increased. The flavonoids, saponosides and steroids observed in this extract could be responsible for the effects observed on the sexual parameters studied in male and female rats.

Double perinatal stress reduces the sexual response of adult female Wistar rats.

Early-life stress affects physiological development and produces changes in various aspects of emotional behavior. We sought to examine the effects of double perinatal stress (DPS)-a combination of prenatal systemic hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insults and repeated early maternal separation-on the estrus cycle and sexual behavior of adult rats. HI was induced by clamping the uterine arteries of pregnant rats for 45minutes on the 18th day of gestation (HI group). Sham control animals received laparotomy and anesthesia only. Pups were born at term. Maternal separation was performed from postnatal day 1 (P1) (P0 = day of birth) to P15. At P90, the sexual response of females in estrus was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using 2-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey's test. We considered the estrous cycle and sexual behavior of female rats submitted to DPS, as well as the influence of female behavior on the sexual response of male rats. Rats submitted to DPS showed a reduction in the lordosis quotient and in the lordosis rate, suggesting a reduction in female sexual receptivity. DPS female rats showed a reduction in the number of hops and darts and in the genital exploration time rate, suggesting a reduction in sexual proceptivity. In addition, males that interacted with DPS females showed a reduction in the number of ejaculations and in copulatory efficiency. Developing a deeper understanding of perinatal factors that affect adult female sexual response will allow for more effective interventions to prevent and treat such changes. On the other hand, the analysis of the sexual response allows assessing the quality of life and the general state of health. The development of animal models to investigate the environmental factors that interfere in the female sexual response may allow researchers to propose and test new therapeutic strategies. On the other hand, care must be exercised when interpreting animal data and extrapolating these results to estimate the possible effects of perinatal stressors on the human sexual response. Our results revealed that females subjected to DPS showed long-term effects on sexual behavior. In conclusion, managing stressors in prenatal life and early postnatal life can prevent problems in adult sexual life and improve overall health.

Intra-individual variation of sperm DNA fragmentation in the Human ejaculate

This retrospective study assessed the biological intra-individual variability of the percentage of sperm with DNA damage (SDF) observed in subsequent ejaculates of the same individual. Variation in SDF was analyzed using the Mean Signed Difference (MSD) statistic based on 131 individuals, comprising 333 ejaculates. Either two, three or four ejaculates were collected from each individual. With this cohort of individuals two main questions were addressed; (1) does the number of ejaculates analyzed influence the variability in the level of SDF associated with each individual? and (2) is the variability observed in SDF similar when individuals are ranked according to their level of SDF? Results showed that the variation observed in mean SDF was not different when 2, 3 or 4 ejaculates were analyzed; consequently, we suggest that the assessment of SDF based on two ejaculates is likely to be representative of the mean SDF expected for the individual. In parallel, it was determined that the variation in SDF increased as SDF increased; in individuals presenting with an SDF value of lower than 30% (potentially fertile), only 5% possessed levels of MSD that could be considered as variable as that presented by individuals presenting with a recurrent high SDF. Finally, we showed that a single assessment of SDF in individuals with medium SDF (20-30%) was less likely to be predictive of the SDF value in the next ejaculate, and therefore, less informative of the patient’s SDF status.

Optimization of the Equine-Sperm Freeze Test in Purebred Spanish Horses by Incorporating Colloidal Centrifugation.

The Purebred Spanish Horse, according to our clinical experience, is characterized by having a high number of stallions that do not meet the international commercial recommendations for equine-sperm cryopreservation. This means that artificial insemination with frozen semen from these stallions is less widespread than in other breeds. In this study, we investigated if the incorporation of single-layer colloidal centrifugation prior to cryopreservation in clinical conditions could increase the number of ejaculates of Purebred Spanish stallions suitable for this processing, observing the influence of centrifugation and freezing extender protocol on post-thawed sperm motility. Using colloidal centrifugation, the percentage of ejaculates available to be frozen was increased from 35% (6/17) to 71% (12/17), doubling the number of samples that could have been subjected to cryopreservation. We only found significant differences in linearity (LIN) and lateral head displacement (ALH) after 5 min of incubation at 37 °C between colloidal and simple centrifugation processing techniques. No significant differences were found between the two different colloidal protocols in any of the variables considered. Colloidal centrifugation allowed us to obtain, from worse fresh-quality ejaculates, thawed sperm doses with similar quality to that of good-quality ejaculates. BotuCrio® produced, in general, higher motility parameters and its characteristics than the other extenders analyzed, with significant differences found in comparison to Inra-Freeze® and Lac-Edta in both total (MOT) and progressive motility (PMOT) when using colloidal centrifugation and only in PMOT when applying simple centrifugation. Colloidal centrifugation optimized the efficiency of cryopreservation, as it allowed us to increase the number of ejaculates of Purebred Spanish Horses suitable to be frozen. Including these semen processing techniques in the freeze test could help to optimize equine-sperm cryopreservation protocols, especially when dealing with individuals or breeds for which initially low sperm quality prevents or limits their inclusion in sperm cryopreservation programs.

ВЛИЯНИЕ «СТИМУЛИНА» И «ФЕРРАМИНОВИТА» НА СОСТАВ КРОВИ, ПОКАЗАТЕЛИ РЕЗИСТЕНТНОСТИ И СПЕРМОПРОДУКЦИИ У БЫКОВ-ПРОИЗВОДИТЕЛЕЙ

Cattle breeding is one of the most knowledge-intensive and dynamically developing industries, occupying one of the leading places in the agro-industrial complex of Russia. An increase in the intensity of cattle breeding technology, in general, leads to a decrease in the overall resistance and immune status of animals. Against this background, metabolic processes and changes in the reproductive system of breeding bulls decrease. The high reproductive capacity of producers ensures high fertilization and fertility of cows, thereby increasing the efficiency of cattle breeding as an industry. Balanced feeding and active exercise are necessary to ensure the safety of health, sexual activity and high quantitative and qualitative indicators of sperm of breeding bulls. As a result of the conducted biochemical studies, significant violations of metabolic processes in breeding bulls were revealed. By making adjustments to their diets, it was not possible to stabilize metabolism and resistance indicators. As a result of the use of injections of complex drugs "Stimullin" and "Ferraminovit" in the body of bulls, the content of molon dialdehyde, liver enzymes AST and ALT, sodium decreased several times, and the amount of glucose increased. The adjustment of diets and the use of drugs contributed to an increase in the indicators of natural resistance and the cellular composition of animal blood: BASC increased by 19.9%, LASC - by 12.4%, FA-11%, FI-14.9%, the functional activity of neutrophils in the spontaneous and stimulated test increased by 38.4% and 36.1%, the reserve index by 13.2%; the coefficient of metabolic activity increased – by 2 times The number of ejaculates in 5 months became higher in bulls with normal biochemical parameters – 36 versus 26 in bulls with metabolic disorders. The use of complex drugs "Stimullin" and "Ferraminovit" contributed to an increase in metabolic processes, indicators of natural resistance and sperm production.

Reciprocal effects of single or repeated exposure to methylphenidate or sex in adult male rats

Exposure to rewards can alter behavioral reactivity to them. For example, stimulants sensitize locomotor activation, whereas sexual experience sensitizes copulatory behaviors. Moreover, rewards can cross-sensitize one another. Although stimulants are known to cross-sensitize locomotor effects, the evidence for cross-sensitization between stimulants and sex is less clear. This study determined the effects of single and repeated pre-exposure to methylphenidate (MPH) or sex on one another in adult male rats. Cross-sensitization between MPH (5mg/kg) and sex (30min with sexually experienced female) was examined. Adult male rats were pre-exposed to 0, 1, or 10 trials of either sex or MPH before being exposed to the other reward. Locomotor chambers were used in MPH trials. Bilevel chambers were used in sexual trials, and sexual behaviors were video scored. The amount of prior sexual experience differentially influenced the ceiling of MPH-dependent sensitization; in the last drug trial, locomotion was highest in males given 1 previous sexual trial compared with 0 or 10. Compared with MPH-naive males, pre-exposure to MPH (1 and 10 trials) reduced the number of ejaculations without impacting sexual performance (intromission/mount latency and frequency). These findings indicate that the degree of pre-exposure to a reward can differentially affect reactivity to novel rewards. The results showed that previous findings of cross-sensitization between amphetamine and sex do not extend to MPH. However, exposure to MPH prior to sexual experience can increase the amount of sexual stimulation needed to achieve ejaculation.

169 Influence of breed, season, and ejaculate number on the sperm quality of breeding bulls in Inia, Peru

Reproduction, Fertility and Development is an international journal publishing original research , review and comment in the fields of reproduction and developmental biology in humans, domestic animals and wildlife

Lifetime productivity of bulls depending on the similarity of their parents by antigens of the B blood group system

During the selection of parents of future bulls of meat breeds, the problem of improving the main signs of meat productivity is a priority. Search for techniques that would additionally influence the effectiveness of using future bulls using conventional breeding methods determines the relevance of this study. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of the selection of parent pairs based on antigens of the B blood group system on the results of lifelong use of bulls of Ukrainian beef cattle, created by the method of the complex reproductive crossing of four different breeds. The study was conducted by comparing the performance of bulls assigned to different groups by the antigenic similarity index (ras) of their parents. By ras value over 0.150 formed a group of progenies from a homogeneous selection of parents (n=5). In the group from a heterogeneous selection of parents (n=5), the indicator ras less than 0.150. The libido of bulls was tested in the arena by the time of manifestation of sexual reflexes when receiving sperm on an artificial vagina. Within the groups, the age of bulls at the time of first sperm collection, life and productive use, the number of ejaculates received and culled, and the quality and fertilising ability of sperm were determined. It was identified that in bulls obtained from the homogeneous selection of parents by ras compared to peers from heterogeneous mating, there is a tendency to increase the age of initiation of sperm collection by 33.9%. They also have a longer productive use expectancy by 6.3% and a longer life expectancy by 21.5%. Bulls obtained from heterogeneous selection during use have more leads to the scarecrow by 13.6% and predominate in the number of ejaculates obtained. The percentage of ejaculate culled is twice as high. Bulls from homogeneous selection have a higher (by 15.3 points) share of active manifestation of sexual reflexes, a larger volume of ejaculate, better indicators of sperm motility and concentration, fewer culled ejaculates, and a higher fertilisation capacity of sperm by 18.2 points. The results obtained should be used in the selection of bulls for potential mothers of valuable bulls of the Ukrainian beef breed and in other livestock populations created by the method of complex reproductive crossing

Factors influencing intercourse frequency among the young and middle-aged men.

At present, there are few studies on the sexual activity of young and middle-aged men in China. This study aims to explore the factors that affect the frequency of intercourse among young and middle-aged men in China. Data for 923 men aged 20-60 years were collected in the Health Management Center, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from January 2019 to March 2019, and a questionnaire survey (including basic conditions and sexual function-related scales) was carried out in the subjects. Finally, the data were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The age ( P <0.01), number of children ( P <0.01), total cholesterol ( P <0.05), low-density lipoprotein ( P <0.05), erectile function ( P <0.01) and premature ejaculation ( P <0.05) was significantly correlated with the frequency of intercourse in the young and middle-aged men in China. The sexual frequency in the middle-young men in China is closely related to factors such as age, number of children, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and sex function.

Evaluation of the Physiological and Behavioural Relationships of Yearling Bucks by Generalized Procrustes Analysis

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationships between some sexual behaviours and physiological traits such as serum testosterone concentration, body weight loss and presence of horns of yearling bucks using Generalized Procrustes Analysis (GPA). In the study, 11 yearling bucks being sexually in- experienced were used. The sexual behaviours were determined with a total of four tests, which consisted of exposing the yearling bucks individually to three unrestrained estrous ewes for 15 min. In these tests, some behavioural characteristics such as number of ejaculations, flehmen response, number of mounts and serum testosterone concentration were determined. In the GPA analysis, the first two factors explained approximately 98% of the total variation between animals (Dimension 1 = 95.57%, Dimension 2 = 2.68%). It was determined that there was a positive and high correlation between tests and the number of mounts, which had a high correlation with the first dimension. Ejaculation frequency, flehmen response and testosterone levels decreased in line with in- creases in the number of mounts. As a result, it can be suggested that GPA can be effectively evaluated quantitative and qualitative behavioural characteristics without requiring any prior assumptions and reducing variability among animals.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

PREDICTION OF FROZEN SEMEN DOSES PRODUCTION IN DAIRY STUDS USING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHM

The ability to predict the frozen semen doses produced per ejaculate would be of considerable benefit for the management of skill, human resource, capital and time. The new computing paradigm called machine learning involves in predicting dependent variable by learning complex and non-linear relationship among independent variables. The purpose of this study is to develop prediction model using one of the conventional and machine learning modelling techniques called Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) respectively. A Total of 1,57,532 ejaculates data were used for modelling. The modelling involved prediction of frozen semen doses produced per ejaculate using independent variables namely volume of ejaculate, ejaculate number, sperm concentration, initial motility and post thaw motility. Various combinations of architectural parameters were employed to explore optimum configuration for each model. The ANN (R2=90.66) modelling was observed to be efficient over MLR (R2=73.52). The root mean squared error (RMSE) value was found to be lower in ANN (33.89) when compared to MLR (57.31). Hence, the ANN modelling approach is efficient to predict frozen semen doses that could be produced per ejaculate.

Seasonal effects on the semen production of Bali bulls (Bos javanicus) in West Nusa Tenggara's Lelede regional artificial insemination center

&lt;p class="MDPI17abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of the rainy and dry seasons on the sperm qualities and frozen sperm production of Bali bulls at the Lelede Regional Artificial Insemination Center (RAIC) in West Nusa Tenggara.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MDPI17abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;A total of 1226 ejaculates were examined from five Bali bulls during a 24-month period (November 2018–October 2019), which was classified into rainy (November–April, 658 ejaculates) and dry (May–October, 568 ejaculates) seasons. Semen volume (mL), sperm velocity (1-4), motility (%), concentration (x106 cell/ml), pre-freezing motility (%), post-freezing motility (%), recovery rate (%), and total frozen semen production were examined as sperm quality measures.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="MDPI17abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The results indicated that during the rainy season, ejaculates and processed sperm were more abundant than during the dry season. Additionally, the features of discarded fresh semen in the volume parameter were significantly (P&amp;lt;0.05) larger during the dry season than during the rainy season. The pattern in semen output rises during the dry season and decreasing during the rainy season.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;It was concluded that the rainy season results in a higher number of ejaculates and total sperm production than the dry season. Meanwhile, no differences in sperm characteristics exist between the two seasons.&lt;/p&gt;

Ejaculate parameters and the results of &lt;i&gt;in vitro &lt;/i&gt; fertilization treatment in infertile couples with overweight and obese men

BACKGROUND: Infertility and obesity are actual and at the same time occurring problems of many couples. Conflicting data have been obtained on ejaculate parameters and the results of infertility treatment using in vitro fertilization treatment (IVF) in overweight and obese men.&#x0D; AIM: To evaluate the results of examination and treatment using ART, depending on the body mass index (BMI) of men in infertile couples.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the results of treatment at the International Center for Reproductive Medicine in 368 infertile couples was carried out. The mean age of men and women was 36.4 6.2 and 33.9 5 years, respectively. Previous treatment for varicocele, sexually transmitted infections, prostatitis and cryptorchidism was performed in 58 (15.7%), 43 (11.7%), 42 (11.4%) and 11 (2.9%) men, respectively. Height and weight were measured for all patients, and BMI was calculated. The ejaculate was processed using a gradient medium (SupraSperm, Origio), IVF or ICSI were used in 110 (29.9%) and 258 (70.1%) couples, respectively, signs of good embryo quality were determined according to recommendations of professional societies for reproductive medicine. The onset of pregnancy was confirmed by the results of ultrasound sonography of the uterus. The results were subjected to statistical analysis.&#x0D; RESULTS: The BMI mean was 27.4 4.4 kg/m2, overweight and obesity of the 1st and 2nd degrees were observed in 161 (43%), 58 (15.8%) and 23 (7%) men respectively. Higher BMI values of men corresponded to higher BMI values of women (p 0.001), BMI values did not depend on ejaculate volume, concentration, total number and number of motile spermatozoa, proportion of high-quality embryos, and pregnancy rate. The highest pregnancy rate was noted after treatment of couples with younger women and higher values of the total number, concentration and number of progressively motile spermatozoa and ejaculate volume (p = 0.037, p = 0.028, p 0.001, p = 0.003, p 0.0001, respectively).&#x0D; CONCLUSIONS: Overweight and obese men prevail in infertile couples seeking IVF treatment. IVF treatment can overcome infertility in couples with overweight and obese men.

Role of non-genetic factors on semen production performance in Murrahbuffalo bulls

The present study aims to determine the effect of non-genetic factors on semen production traits of Murrah buffalo bulls maintained in an organized semen station. The data collected from 75 Murrah bulls maintained during the period 1997 to 2017 were used to analyse the non-genetic effects using least-squares analyses under General Linear Model (GLM). The overall least-squares means for age at first semen collection (AFSC), age at first semen freezing (AFSF), age at last semen collection (ALSC), age at last semen freezing (ALSF), semen production period (SPP), frozen semen production period (FSPP), age at disposal (AD), number of ejaculates per bull per year, lifetime ejaculates per bull, frozen semen doses per bull per year and lifetime production of frozen semen doses per bull were 1149.71 days, 1160.67 days, 2745.32 days, 2728.73 days, 1313.97 days, 1292.23 days, 2819.09 days, 63.57, 637.88, 5738.60 doses and 69778.32 doses, respectively. Poor semen quality, old age, and poor libido were the predominant causes of disposal of bulls with 42.11%, 22.81%, and 12.28%, respectively. The period of birth of the bulls had a highly significant (P&lt;0.01) effect on AFSC and AFSF and a significant (P&lt;0.05) impact on AD. While the season of birth was non-significant for any of the parameters studied. Period I recorded higher values for AFSC, AFSF, and AD, whereas bulls born in period V exhibited lower AFSC and AFSF. Early selection and training of bulls under preferable managemental conditions will increase the semen production period and frozen semen doses.

Increasing the frequency of ejaculate collection in young dairy bulls increases semen production and field fertility

Younger bulls typically produce lower volumes of semen per ejaculate with a lower sperm concentration than older more mature, bulls and often fail to meet semen demand using standard collection frequency schedules. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of ejaculate collection frequency on semen output, sperm quality and field fertility in young bulls under commercial conditions. Holstein Friesian bulls aged 366 ± 8 days (mean ± SEM) were assigned one of two ejaculate collection frequencies: (i) HF (n = 14 bulls), where ejaculates were collected twice a day, five days in each two-week period or (ii) LF (n = 12 bulls), where ejaculates were collected once a day, two days per week. The trial period continued until each bull reached both 20 ejaculates and 1000 marketable frozen semen straws. Subjective motility was assessed on all ejaculates pre-freeze and post-thaw (at 0 and 2 h). A subset of ejaculates were assessed post-thaw by computer-assisted sperm analysis for motility, kinematics and morphological defects and by flow cytometry for viability, membrane fluidity, acrosome integrity, reactive oxygen species and DNA fragmentation. A total of 13,846 inseminations (9,541 for HF and 4,305 for LF) were carried out on dairy cows and heifers. HF reached the 1000 straw threshold 41 days earlier than LF (P < 0.01) with the same number of ejaculates. Ejaculate volume and sperm concentration were not affected by treatment but the first ejaculate of the day (HF only) had a greater volume (P < 0.001) and sperm concentration (P < 0.05) than the second ejaculate. HF had higher pre-freeze total (P < 0.01) and gross (P < 0.05) motility than LF. HF had higher post-thaw (2 h) total and gross motility than LF (P < 0.05). Ejaculate rejection rates did not differ between treatments. There was no effect of treatment, week or ejaculate number of the day (HF only) on post-thaw motility and kinematic parameters or sperm viability, membrane fluidity, acrosome integrity and DNA fragmentation. However, HF had lower superoxide production than LF (P < 0.05). Pregnancy per artificial insemination was 64.5 ± 1.0% and 59.9 ± 1.1% for the HF and LF bulls, respectively (mean ± SEM; P = 0.05). In conclusion, collecting ejaculates more frequently from young bulls significantly reduced the number of days required to obtain 1000 straws, increased semen quality in terms of lower superoxide production and increased field fertility.