Inducing ovulation early postpartum influences uterine health and fertility in dairy cows.
The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effect of GnRH early postpartum on induction of ovulation, uterine health, and fertility in dairy cows. Holstein cows without a corpus luteum (CL) at 17 ± 3 DIM were assigned randomly to receive i.m. GnRH (n = 245) at 17 ± 3 and 20 ± 3 DIM or remain as controls (n = 245). Ovaries were scanned by ultrasonography twice weekly totaling 4 examinations. Ovulation was characterized by the appearance of a CL ≥ 20 mm at any ultrasound or CL <20mm in 2 consecutive examinations. Clinical and cytological endometritis were diagnosed at 35 DIM. Compared with control, GnRH increased ovulation up to 3.5d after the last treatment (78.7 vs. 45.0%) and did not affect the prevalence of clinical endometritis (23.9 vs. 18.6%) or cytological endometritis (30.9 vs. 32.8%). Prevalence of clinical endometritis increased in cows that had calving problems (32.6 vs. 15.9%) and metritis (40.6 vs. 15.8%). Metritis increased prevalence of cytological endometritis (50.7 vs. 23.5%). Treatment with GnRH did not affect pregnancy per artificial insemination at 32 (37.6 vs. 38.6%) or 74 d after artificial insemination (35.0 vs. 31.5%), but reduced pregnancy loss (6.8 vs. 18.1%). No overall effect of GnRH treatment on hazard of pregnancy was observed; however, an interaction between GnRH treatment and ovulation showed that GnRH-treated cows that ovulated had increased hazard of pregnancy by 300 DIM compared with GnRH-treated and control cows that did not ovulate (hazard ratio=2.0 and 1.3, respectively), but similar to control cows that ovulated (hazard ratio=1.1). Gonadotropin-releasing hormone early postpartum induced ovulation without affecting uterine health, but failed to improve pregnancy per artificial insemination or time to pregnancy, although it reduced pregnancy loss.
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Bittar
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Pinedo
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Risco
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Santos
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Thatcher
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Hencken
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Croyle
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610.
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Gobikrushanth
Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Botucatu, SP, Brazil 88520.
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Barbosa
Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Centro de Ciências Agroveterinárias, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Lages, SC, Brazil 18618.
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Vieira-Neto
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610; D. H. Barron Reproductive and Perinatal Biology Research Program, University of Florida, Gainesville 32610. Electronic address: galvaok@ufl.edu.
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Galvão
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000187:drug effects; D004716:Endometritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D007315:Insemination, Artificial / Q000662:veterinary; D010053:Ovary / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000662:veterinary*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D014463:Ultrasonography
D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone
GnRH; dairy cow; fertility; ovulation postpartum; uterine health