Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-qxdb6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T15:21:42.360Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Studies on plasma progesterone concentrations and fertility in Friesland dairy cows during the post-partum period

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

D. H. Holness ,
G. W. Sprowson ,
Carole Sheward  and
Amanda Geel
D. H. Holness
Affiliation:
Henderson Research Station, Department of Research and Specialist Services, Private Bag 222 A, Salisbury, Zimbabwe
G. W. Sprowson
Affiliation:
Henderson Research Station, Department of Research and Specialist Services, Private Bag 222 A, Salisbury, Zimbabwe
Carole Sheward
Affiliation:
Henderson Research Station, Department of Research and Specialist Services, Private Bag 222 A, Salisbury, Zimbabwe
Amanda Geel
Affiliation:
Henderson Research Station, Department of Research and Specialist Services, Private Bag 222 A, Salisbury, Zimbabwe
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Plasma progesterone concentrations were monitored in 69 lactating Friesland dairy cows during the post-partum period. Cyclic ovarian activity resumed in most cows within 40 days of calving. Forty-eight per cent of cows remained pregnant to their first insemination, 41% returned to oestrus before day 30 after insemination, and a further 11% returned to oestrus between days 30 and 88 after insemination.

The mean of progesterone values on days 11 to 4 before insemination tended to be higher in cows that conceived than in cows that did not conceive. These differences were signficant on day –8 (P <0·05) and on days –8, –7, –6 and –5 combined (P <0·01). Cows in which the concentration of progesterone in plasma did not rise above 4·5 ng/ml during this period did not conceive. After insemination, mean progesterone concentrations between pregnant and non-pregnant cows diverged after day +8. Relatively low concentrations of plasma progesterone (< 1 ng/ml) up to day +8 after insemination did not preclude conception. There was no indication that embryo loss between days +30 and +88 after insemination was related to an insufficiency of ovarian progesterone during early pregnancy.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 97 , Issue 3 , December 1981 , pp. 649 - 654
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Appleyard, W. T. & Cook, B. (1976). The detection of oestrus in dairy cattle. Veterinary Record 99, 253–256.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ball, P. J. H. (1978). The relationship of age and stage of gestation to the incidence of embryo death in dairy cattle. Research in Veterinary Science 25, 120–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Batra, S. K., Pahwa, G. S., Suri, A. K. & Pandey, R. S. (1980). Diurnal variation of progesterone levels in milk and milk fat of orossbred cows during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy. Animal Production 31, 127–131.Google Scholar
Bulman, D. C. & Lamming, G. E. (1978). Milk progesterone levels in relation to conception, repeat breeding and factors influencing acylicity in dairy cows. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 54, 447–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carstairs, J. A. (1979). Post partum reproductive and lactational performance of cows relative to energy, phosphorus and hormonal status. Dissertation Abstracts International 39 B, 4661 B.Google Scholar
Cooke, I. D., Lenton, E. A., Adams, M., Pearce, M. A., Fahmy, D. & Evans, C. R. (1977). Some clinical aspects of pituitary–ovarian relationships in women with ovulatory infertility. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 51, 203–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corah, L. R., Quealy, A. P., Dunn, T. G. & Kalten-bach, C. C. (1974). Prepartum and post-partum levels of progesterone and estradiol in beef heifers fed two levels of energy. Journal of Animal Science 39, 380–385.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Vaccaro, L. P. (1973). Some aspects of the performance of purebred and crossbred dairy cattle in the tropics. Part 1. Reproductive efficiency in females. Animal Breeding Abstracts 41, 571–591.Google Scholar
Esselmont, R. J. & Bryant, M. J. (1974). Economic and husbandry aspects of the manifestation and detection of oestrus in oows. Part 2. The manifestation of oestrus in cattle. A.D.A.S. Quarterly Review 13, 19–26.Google Scholar
Folman, Y., Rosenberg, M., Herz, Z. & Davidson, M. (1973). The relationship between plasma progesterone concentration and conception in postpartum dairy cows maintained on two levels of nutrition. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 34, 267–278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foote, R. H., Oltenacu, E. A. B., Kummerfeld, H. L., Smith, R. D., Riek, P. M. & Braun, R. K. (1979). Milk progesterone as a diagnostic aid. British Veterinary Journal 135, 550–558.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hale, D. H., McCabe, C. T. & Holness, D. H. (1981). A method to evaluate various parameters of progesterone production in beef cows, using the levels of progesterone in peripheral blood sampled on specific days of the oestrous cycle. Animal Reproduction Science 3, 279–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hasler, T. F., Bowen, R. A., Nelson, L. D. & Seidel, G. D. (1980). Serum progesterone concentrations in cows receiving embryo transfers. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 58, 71–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heap, R. B., Gwyn, M., Laing, J. A. & Walters, D. E. (1973). Pregnancy diagnosis in cows, changes in milk progesterone concentration during the oestrus cycle and pregnancy measured by a rapid radioimmunoassay. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 81, 151–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henricks, D. M., Dickey, J. F. & Niswender, G. D. (1970). Serum luteinising hormone and plasma progesterone during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy in cows. Biology of Reproduction 2, 346–351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, B., Gunzler, O., Hamburger, R. & Schmidt, W. (1976). Milk progesterone as a parameter for fertility control in cattle; methodical approaches and present status of application in Germany. British Veterinary Journal 132, 467–476.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holness, D. H., Ellison, J. A., Sprowson, G. W. & De Carvalho, A. (1977). Aspects of fertility in Friesland dairy cows with particular reference to the concentration of progesterone in peripheral plasma. Rhodesian Journal of Agricultural Research 15, 109–117.Google Scholar
Holness, D. H., Ellison, J. A. & Wilkins, L. M. (1977). Conception of beef cows in relation to the concentration of progesterone in peripheral blood. Rhodesian Journal of Agricultural Research 15, 3–9.Google Scholar
Holness, D. H. & Hale, D. H. (1980). The response of lactating cows to treatment with a progesterone-releasing intravaginal device or injection of synthetic GnRH. Animal Reproduction Science 3, 181–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, G. J., Hurnik, J. P. & Robertson, H. A. (1976). Oestrous behaviour and ovarian function in dairy cows under intensive systems of management. Proceedings VHIth International Congress on Animal Reproduction and A.I., Krakow 3, 149–152.Google Scholar
Lamming, G. E. & Bulman, D. C. (1976). The use of milk progesterone measurements in the diagnosis and treatment of sub-fertility in post-partum dairy cows. Animal Production 22, 140.Google Scholar
Lukaszewska, J. & Hansel, W. (1980). Corpus luteum maintenance during early pregnancy in the cow. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 59, 485–493.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Richards, J. I., O'Sullivan, C. & Holdsworth, R. (1980). Changes in the reproductive status of dairy cows exposed to high ambient temperatures. Animal Production 30, 499.Google Scholar
Rosenberg, M., Herz, Z., Davidson, M. & Folman, Y. (1977). Seasonal variations in post-partum plasma progesterone levels and conception in primiparous and multi-parous dairy cows. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 51, 363–367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sprowson, G. W., Gilbert-Greene, P. A., Terblanche, S. J. & Holness, D. H. (1981). The therapeutic use of prostaglandin F2α during the postpartum period in dairy cows. Zimbabwe Veterinary Journal 12, 10–12.Google Scholar
Thompson, F. J., Cleks, T., Kiser, T. E., Chen, H. J. & Smith, C. K. (1980). Serum progesterone concentrations in pregnant and non-pregnant heifers and after gonadotrophin releasing hormone in luteal phase heifers. Theriogenology 13, 407–417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wijeratne, W. V. S. (1973). A population study of apparent embryonic mortality in cattle with speoial reference to genetic factors. Animal Production 16, 251–259.Google Scholar
Wood, P. D. F. (1976). A note on detection of oestrus in cattle bred by artificial insemination, and the measurement of embryonic mortality. Animal Production 22, 275–278.Google Scholar