title: The monitoring of bovine pregnancies derived from transfer of in vitro produced embryos.
abstract: Both an increased rate of embryonic, foetal and perinatal losses, and the occurrence of deviations in foetal and placental development are associated with bovine pregnancies obtained from in vitro produced embryos. This thus requires for a more accurate and frequent monitoring of foetal and maternal functions during pregnancies. Such approaches will enable to establish the period during which these losses and deviations in development occur and to plan possible clinical interventions. This paper reviews some recent data on return rates, late embryonic and foetal losses in recipients after the transfer of either MOET, IVF or nuclear transfer embryos. Special attention is paid to the diagnostic value of measurements of pregnancy specific/associated proteins and progesterone in maternal plasma. Possibilities to measure foetal body sizes, size of placentomes and foetal heart rate by means of transrectal or transabdominal ultrasonography are illustrated with data from the literature and with recent results from our own large field study with MOET, IVP-co-culture and IVP-SOF embryos.
authors.affiliation: Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. m.a.m.taverne@vet.uu.nl
authors.forename: Marcel A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Taverne
authors.forename: Simone P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Breukelman
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Perényi
authors.forename: Steph J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Dieleman
authors.forename: Peter L A M
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Vosa
authors.forename: Herman H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Jonker
authors.forename: Lisette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Ruigh
authors.forename: Jannecke M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Van Wagtendonk-de Leeuw
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Beckers
mesh_terms: D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000209:etiology; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000662:veterinary*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary; D005865:Gestational Age; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000662:veterinary; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D014463:Ultrasonography