Lesson 81 - Infertility and Failure of Pregnancy

What does infertility mean?

reduced fertility

What is sterility?

complete or permanent inability to reproduce

What are the types of infertility?

1. congenital

2. acquired

What causes congenital infertility?

developmental defects from genetics or non-genetic

What are non-genetic causes of congenital infertility?

1. viruses

2. teratogenic plants

What causes acquired infertility?

infectious or non-infectious causes

What are the female infertility manifestations?

1. anestrus

2. anovulation

3. conception failure

4. failure of pregnancy

5. postpartum problems

What are the male infertility manifestations?

1. impotentia coeundi

2. impotentia generandi

What is impotentia coeundi?

inability to copulate

What is impotentia generandi?

inability to fertilize after normal service

What are the causes of impotentia coeundi?

1. poor libido

2. inability to mount

3. inability to achieve intromission

4. inability to ejaculate

What causes impotentia generandi?

poor semen quality

What organs might be affected in impotentia generandi?

1. testes

2. epididymis

3. accessory sex glands

What are the signs of anestrus in cattle?

abscensce of heat signs for a prolonged period

What causes anestrus in cattle leading to infertility?

1. poor nutrition especially post-partum

2. pre-pubertal

3. lactational anestrus

4. heat stress

5. developmental disorders like freemartinism

What cattle are more prone to lactational anestrus?

beef cattle

What are the transrectal findings of anestrus in cattle?

1. inactive ovaries

2. no large follicles

3. no corpus luteum

What is the characteristics of silent heat/unobserved estrus in cattle?

normal ovarian activity in the abscence of heat signs or the cow shows heat signs but they go unnoticed

What are the causes of silent heat in cattle?

1. high incidence post-partum

2. suckling

3. undernutrition

4. management like poor estrus detection and slippery floors

What are the transrectal findings with silent heat in cattle?

1. active ovaries

2. large follicles

3. corpus luteum

What causes anestrus in mares?

1. behavioral anestrus/silent heat

2. seasonal anestrus

3. anovulatory follicles

What causes silent heat in mares?

1. maiden mare

2. foal at foot

3. gray stallion

What causes seasonal anestrus in mares?

reduced daylength

What is a significant cause of early pregnancy losses and infertility?

endometritis

What are the types of endometritis?

1. persistent breeding-induced endometritis

2. infectious endometritis

3. chronic degenerative endometritis

What is chronic degenerative endometritis also known as?

endometriosis or fibrotic endometrial degeneration

What animals are mainly affected by persistent breeding-induced endometritis?

mares

What occurs after breeding in all mares?

acute endometritis that resolves within 12-48 hours most of the time

What percent of mares have persistent endometritis after breeding?

10-15%

What things can lead to persistent breeding-induced endometritis in mares?

1. impaired uterine clearance

2. older pluriparous mares

3. poor perineal conformation

What are some gestational disorders?

1. fetal mummification

2. fetal maceration

3. hydrops

4. uterine torsion

5. vaginal prolapse

What are the hydrops disorders?

1. hydroallantois

2. hydroamnion

When does fetal mummification typically occur?

between 3-8 months of age

What is the characteristic of fetal mummification?

fetal death in utero without bacterial infection

What are the findings with fetal mummification?

1. persistent corpus luteum

2. closed cervix

3. resorption of all fetal fluid and dehydration of fetal tissues

4. uterus tightly contracted around a hard, mummified fetus

What is the characteristic of fetal maceration?

death of fetus in utero with bacterial invasion

What are the findings with fetal maceration?

1. regressed corpus luteum

2. partially open cervix

3. only fetal bones remain

4. purulent, fetid, vulvular discharge

What causes just fetal bones to remain with fetal maceration?

autolysis and bacterial action result in digestion of fetal soft tissues

What type of hydrops disorder is 85-90% of cases?

hydroallantois

Which hydrops disorder causes rapid enlargement of abdomen?

hydroallantois

When does abdominal enlargement occur with hydrops disorders?

late gestation

How much fluid can accumulate in hydroallantois?

up to 250L

What are the clinical signs of hydroallantois?

1. tachycardia

2. respiratory distress

3. anxiety

4. reduced appetite

5. dehydration

6. recumbency

What hydrops disorder causes gradual enlargement of abdomen?

hydroamnion

How much fluid can accumulate with hydroamnion?

100L or more

What are the consequences of hydroamnion?

fetal defects like hydrocephalus, anasarca, schistosoma reflexus

What are predisposing factors to uterine torsion in cattle?

1. typical posture when a cow gets up

2. lack of exercise

3. poor uterine tone

4. possibly slipping and falling

When does uterine torsion commonly present in bovine?

at the end of gestation with dystocia

What happens when the uterus has torsion toward the right?

taught left broad ligament dorsally

What happens when the uterus has torsion toward the left?

taught right broad ligament dorsally

When does uterine torsion present with mares?

mid to late gestation and rarely at the time of foaling

What signs are commonly seen with uterine torsion in mares?

colic

What are the risks of uterine torsion?

fetal hypoxia and uterine necrosis

When does vaginal prolapse occur?

pre-partum

What is the first degree of vaginal prolapse?

intermittent prolapse of the vagina

What is the second degree of vaginal prolapse?

continuous prolapse of the vagina

What is the third degree of vaginal prolapse?

cervix and entire vagina are continuously prolapsed

What is the fourth degree of vaginal prolapse?

same as third degree with deep necrosis and adhesions and possible peritonitis

When does uterine prolapase occur?

post-partum

What are the predisposing factors for uterine prolapse?

1. dystocia

2. hypocalcemia

Why is uterine prolapse a life threatening condition?

1. rupture of major blood vessels leading to hypovolemic shock

2. absorption of toxins leading to endotoxemic shock

3. thromboembolism

4. trauma and necrosis

What defines retained fetal membranes in cattle?

fetal membranes not expelled within 12 to 24 hours of completion of second stage of parturition

What is the concern with retained fetal membranes in cattle?

not a serious issue in cattle unless there are secondary complications

What are the risk factors for cattle having retained fetal membranes?

1. vitamin E or selenium deficiency

2. abortion

3. dystocia

4. twinning

What defines retained fetal membranes in mares?

fetal membranes not expelled within 3 hours post foaling

What is the concern with retained fetal membranes in mares?

emergency situation

What predisposes mares to retained fetal membranes?

1. draft mares

2. dystocia

3. induced parturition cases

4. old multiparous mares

What are the consequences of retained fetal membranes in mares?

1. delayed uterine involution

2. metritis

3. septicemia

4. endotoxemia

5. laminitis

What causes poor libido?

1. immaturity or inexperience

2. reared in isolation

3. poor management

4. multi-sire herd

5. penile trauma

What causes inability to mount?

1. pain especially back and hindlimbs

2. foot lesions

3. joint issues

4. poor hindlimb conformation

What causes inability to achiece intromission?

1. failure of erection

2. abnormalities that prevent intromission

3. abnormalities that prevent protrusion of penis

What causes failure of erection?

1. penile hematoma from ruptured CCP

2. corpus cavernosum penis shunt

What abnormalities prevent intromission?

deviation of the penis

What abnormalities prevent protrusion of the penis?

1. lamina interna prolapse/preputial eversion

2. balanoposthitis

3. strangulation and necrosis of the penis

4. penile neoplasia

What causes inability to ejaculate?

1. strangulation of the penis resulting in damage to the sensory nerves

2. compression of the spinal nerve roots by age-related exostoses in older bulls

What testes conditions cause impotentia generandi?

1. cryptorchidism

2. testicular hypoplasia

3. testicular degeneration

4. orchitis

What epididymis conditions cause impotentia generandi?

1. epididymitis

2. segmental aplasia of the mesonephric duct

What accessory sex glands conditions cause impotentia generandi?

seminal vesiculitis

What causes testicular hypoplasia?

usually congenital

What is seen with testicular hypoplasia?

1. smaller than normal testes usually soft

2. oligozoospermia

3. teratozoospermia

What do we do with animals that have testicular hypoplasia?

cull

What causes testicular degeneration?

acquired causing infertility 4-8 weeks after insult

What is seen with testicular degeneration?

1. softer testes

2. oligozoospermia

3. teratozoospermia

4. immature spermatogenic cells in the semen

Is libido affected with testicular degeneration?

no

What causes orchitis?

1. hematogenous

2. direct infection

Which orchitis is more common?

unilateral orchitis

What are the signs of acute orchitis?

1. pain

2. swelling

3. heat

4. altered gait

What can be a secondary issue caused by orchitis in one testis?

temperature dependent degeneration of the unaffected testis

What is seen with chronic orchitis?

shrunken and fibrotic with adhesions to the tunica and scrotum

What animals more commonly have epididymitis?

more common in small ruminants than bulls

What causes epididymitis?

1. primary infection

2. secondary to orchitis

What are the clinical signs of epididymitis?

1. swelling

2. pain

3. heat

What can be a secondary issue caused by epididymitis?

temperature induced degeneration of unaffected testis

What is epididymitis more commonly associated with?

maturational defects of the spermatozoa

What animals more commonly get seminal vesiculitis?

bulls younger than 2 years old or older than 9 years old

What are the causative organisms of seminal vesiculitis?

1. Brucella abortus

2. Truepurella pyogenes

3. Haemophilus somnus

4. IBR

5. Eschericia coli

What makes bulls more susceptible to seminal vesiculitis?

bulls housed in groups and fed high energy rations

What are the acute signs of seminal vesiculitis?

1. reluctance to mount

2. occasionally abdominal pain

3. hindlimb lameness

What are the chronic signs of seminal vesiculitis?

infertility

What is seen on the spermiogram with seminal vesiculitis?

1. decreased motility

2. increase pH

3. pus in the semen

4. increased number of leukocytes