Reproduction in Domestic Animals - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias

16 t h International Congress on Animal Reproduction
44 Poster Abstracts
divided into four groups according to the puerperium (normal or
abnormal) and parity (primiparous or pluriparous). Uterine involution
was monitored by gynaecological examination (vaginal and rectal) at
2-3 day intervals (three times per week). Criteria for involution were:
(i) stable uterine size (ultrasound using a rectal probe; (ii) normal
uterine tone and consistency (palpation per rectum); and (iii) absence
of pathological cervical discharge (vaginal inspection). In both firstcalf
heifers and pluriparous cows uterine involution was longer after
puerperal complications (retained placenta and/or uterine
inflammation) compared to animals with a normal puerperium
(primiparous: 23.0+/-5.3 days; n = 26 vs. 37.3 +/-7.4 days; and
pluriparous: 27.3 +/-5.3; n = 122 vs.37.3 +/-8.2 days; n = 102; p
0.0001).All animals were inseminated at the first suitable heat
observed beyond 40 days after calving. An abnormal puerperium
delayed the time to first insemination in primiparous cows by average
of 2 days an by 12.2 days in pluriparous cows (p 0.0001). First service
pregnancy rates after a normal purperium were 61.5% in primiparous
and 41.8% in pluriparous cows (p 0.05).Placental retencion and/or
uterine inflammation decreased first service conception rates more in
cows than in heifers (53.9% in primiparous vs. 37.3% in pluriparous;
p 0.05). In conclusion, pregnancz rates would be improved if care
taken to avoid complications in the puerperium, espacially in
pluriparous cows. (Supported by Ministry of Education of the Slovak
Republic, project AV 4/0009/07)
P050
Uterine blood flow during the first three weeks of
pregnancy in Holstein Friesian cows
Honnens, A 1 *; Voss, C 1,2 ; Herzog, K 1 ; Beindorff, N 1 ; Rath, D 2 ; Bollwein, H 1
1Clinic for Cattle, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hanover, Germany;
2Institute for Animal Breeding (FAL), Dept. Biotechnology, Mariensee,
Germany
Embryonic mortality during the first three weeks is one of the main
reasons for the low fertility rate in high yielding dairy cows.
Therefore, a number of studies have been carried out on the embryomaternal
communication during this time period. Investigations of
blood flow in the uterine arteries during early pregnancy indicated
that uterine blood flow ipsilateral to the embryo increases already in
the third week of pregnancy; but due to the use of invasive methods
they were carried out only in three cows. Since the introduction of
transrectal colour Doppler sonography genital blood flow can be
examined in clinical studies on a relatively high number of cows. The
objective of this study was to compare changes in uterine blood flow
between cyclic and early pregnant lactating dairy cows. Colour
Doppler examinations were carried out in 50 multiparous lactating
German Holstein cows on Days 3, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18 and 21
(Day 0=oestrus). Fourteen cows were examined during the oestrous
cycle and 36 cows after insemination with cryopreserved sperm. After
each Doppler examination blood samples were collected for
determination of total estrogens (E) and progesterone (P 4 ) in plasma.
Uterine blood flow was reflected by the time-averaged maximum
velocity (TAMV) in the uterine artery ipsilateral to the corpus luteum.
As eighteen cows, that were not pregnant on Day 25, were excluded
from further analyses, data are from 14 cyclic and 18 pregnant cows.
In cyclic cows TAMV values stayed at a constant level (P>0.05)
between Days 3 and 13. Between Days 13 and 18 TAMV increased
(P