L80: infertility

Anestrus

Failure to show estrus; can be physiologic or pathologic

endometriosis

Inflammation of the endometrium

epididymitis

• Inflammation of the epididymis often caused from bacterial infections

• Leads to infertility

fetal maceration

• Decomposed fetus in the uterus

• Usually with bacterial infection

fetal mummification

Sterile death in utero where fetus mummifies and remains in uterus

hydrops (allantois/amnion)

Excess fluid in fetal membranes leading to fetal and maternal distress

orchitis

Inflammation of the testes of ten leading to testicular degeneration and infertility

prostatitis

Inflammation of the prostate gland

repeat breeder syndrome

Animal fails to conceive after multiple services despite normal cycles

uterine torsion

Twisting of the uterus that can lead to fetal death or dystocia

what is the average pregnancy rate in beef cows?

65-70%

what are the causes of anestrus in cattle?

1. Poor nutrition

2. Pre-pubertal

3. Lactational anestrus

4. Heat stress

5. Developmental disorders

what transrectal findings will indicate anestrus in cattle?

• Inactive ovaries

• No large follicle

• No corpus luteum

what is “silent heat” in cattle?

Normal ovarian activity in the absence 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 (negative energy balance)

2. Suckling

3. Undernutrition

4. Management issues

what transrectal findings will be present in a cow with silent heat?

• ACTIVE OVARIES

• Large follicles and/or corpus luteum

what causes behavioral anestrus (Silent heat) in mares?

• Maiden mare (not yet bred)

• Foal at foot

• Gray stallion

what does foal at foot mean?

When a mare has recently foaled the maternal instinct will override any sexual behavior

what are causes of anestrus in mares?

1. Behavioral anestrus

2. Seasonal anestrus

3. Anovulatory follicles

MCQ: A farmer reports low estrus detection rate in a herd of dairy cows. Transrectal examination of the cows reveals active ovaries with large follicles and/ or corpus luteum. What is the most likely reason for this clinical presentation?

Silent heat

what is endometritis a significant cause of?

Early pregnancy losses and infertility in horses

what are the types of endometritis?

1. Persistent breeding-induced endometritis

2. Infectious endometritis

3. Chronic degenerative endometritis

MCQ: A breeding male dog shows reduced semen volume and no spermatozoa in the ejaculate, but spermatozoa are observed in the urine sample after semen collection. What is the most likely reason for the azoospermia in this dog?

Retrograde ejaculation

what are the causes of asthenozoospermia?

1. Latex

2. Temperature changes

what is asthenozoospermia?

When a male has abnormal semen quality with progressive motility less than 70%

what is teratozoospermia?

Decreased percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa

what are causes of teratzoospermia?

1. Senescence

2. Abstinence/overuse

3. Orchitis

4. Fever

what is hematospermia?

Blood in ejaculate

what are the causes of hematospermia?

1. Usually benign prostatic hyperplasia

2. Trauma

3. Neoplasia

what is oligiozoospermia?

Low concentration of spermatozoa in the semen

what are the causes of oligozoospermia?

1. Testicular hypoplasia

2. Testicular degeneration

3. Orchitis or epididymitis

4. Certain drugs

5. Testicular neoplasia

what are the causes of azoospermia?

1. Pre-testicular causes

2. Testicular causes

3. Post-testicular causes

what are the post-testicular causes of azoospermia?

1. Epididymal segmental aplasia

2. Sperm granuloma

what are the causes of failure to achieve normal copulation?

1. Sexual immaturity

2. Sexual overuse

3. Pain

4. Physiological issues

what are the causes of failure to ejaculate?

1. Sexual immaturity

2. Pain

3. Retrograde ejaculation

what is retrograde ejaculation?

• Ejaculate enters the bladder due to blockage of sympathetic alpha-receptors

• Azoospermic sample

What are the causes of failure to achieve erection?

1. Physiological issues

2. Pain

what is canine male subfertility?

Whelping rate of less the 75% when bred appropriately to a normal bitch

what is canine male infertility?

Complete failure to impregnate a normal bitch when bred appropriately

MCQ: what is the pathophysiological process underlying subinovation of placental sites (SIPS) in dogs?

Persistence of trophoblastic cells causing continued erosion of uterine vessels

what is the first clue of hypocalcemia?

Changes in behavior

what are the clinical signs associated with hypocalcemia?

1. Poor maternal care

2. Recumbent (COWS)

3. hyper-excitability (DOGS)

4. Convulsions

5. Increase in heart rate and temperature

who does hypocalcemia most commonly occur in?

Young small-breed bitches with large litters during the 2nd-3rd week of lactation

what else is hypocalcemia known as?

1. eclampsia

2. Puerpurnal tetany

what are the clinical signs of SIPS?

Hemorrhagic vulvar discharge for several weeks (4-15) postpartum

who does SIPS usually occur in?

Primparous bitches

what is subinvolution of placental sites (SIPS)?

Delayed uterine involution due to invasion of endometrium by fetal trophoblastic cells that erode blood vessels

when should uterine involution be complete by?

12 weeks post-partum

which species will SIPS only occur in?

Dogs only

what is puerperal metrititis associated with?

1. Retained placentas

2. Retained pups

3. Macerated pups

4. Prolonged delivery

when does puerperal metritis often occur?

During the first week post-partum

what is puerperal metritis?

Severe inflammation of the uterus allows bacteria to gain access through the open cervix and cause systemic illness in the bitch

what is pregnancy toxemia associated with?

Lack of carbohydrates or altered carbohydrate metabolism during late gestation which leads to bitches developing ketosis

what are the causes of pregnancy toxemia in the bitch?

Bitches with very large littersIn adequate nutrition

what are the clinical signs of pregnancy toxemia?

1. Anorexia

2. Weight loss

3. Hepatic lipidosis

What breed is predisposed to vaginal hyperplasia?

Brachycephalics

what is vaginal hyperplasia?

Enlargement from the floor of the caudal vagina immediately cranial to the urethral opening which may progress to circumferential prolapse of vaginal tissue

what else may vaginal hyperplasia be known as?

1. vaginal prolapse

2. Vaginal edema

What is the best treatment for vaginal hyperplasia?

Spay to remove source of estrogen

when does vaginal hyperplasia occur?

Usually in proestrus (high levels of estrogen) and persists though estrus

How may vaginal hyperplasia resolve?

• in many cases spontaneous resolution in late estrus

• May recur prior to whelping when estradiol levels rise again

what are the infectious causes of infertiltity?

1. Bacteria (Brucella canis)

2. Virus (herpes or parvovirus)

3. Mycoplasma and ureplasma

4. Protozoa (toxoplasma gondii)

what are the causes of infertility with normal interestrus intervals?

1. Poor breeding management

2. Infectious causes

3. Abnormalities of the reproductive tract

4. Age and previous hormone exposure

MCQ: A 2-year-old female Beagle shows vulvar swelling and serosanginous discharge for 5 days which then subsides. 2 weeks later, the signs recur, and the bitch is found to be receptive to the male. What is the most likely reason for this clinical presentation?

Split heat

which dog breed is shortened diestrus/anestrus more commonly occur in?

German shepherds

what is the treatment for shortened diestrus/anestrus?

Give progesterone or androgens to prolong cycle

what is considered shortened diestrus/anestrus in the bitch?

Less then five months

what is the consequence of shortened diestrus/anestrus?

Poor fertility because there is insufficient time for involution to occur (takes 90 days in the dog)

when is split heat considered normal?

During first/pubertal heat

what is split heat?

Can either be:

1. Split proestrus (no progression to estrus the first time)

2. Split estrus (progression to estrus but no ovulation)

how would you determine if the bitch ovulated or not?

Test her progesterone levels

what is secondary anestrus?

Bitch has had heats before but now there has been more than 12 months since the last heat (prolonged inter-estrus interval)

what are the possible causes of secondary anestrus?

1. Silent heat

2. Unobserved / missed heat

3. Spayed

4. Exogenous hormone treatment

5. Ovarian disorders

what is delayed puberty/primary anestrus?

No signs of estrus by 2 years of age

MCQ: during a breeding soundness exam at the start of a breeding season. Semen is collected from a stallion is clear and watery, containing no spermatozoa. the testes are normal in size and consistency. What is the most likely cause of the azoospermia?

Blocked ampullae

where does urethral tear in stallions usually occur?

In the pelvic urethra

what does a urethral tear in stallions result in?

Presence of blood in the ejaculate (hemospermia)

when does a blocked ampullae in stallions usually present?

At the beginning of breeding season

how will semen appear in stallions with blocked ampullae?

1. Azoospermia or oligiospermia

2. Low alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration in ejaculate

which animals is seminal vesiculitis most common in?

Bulls younger than 2 years or older than 9 years

which young bulls are more susceptible to seminal vesiculitis?

Young bulls housed in groups and fed high energy rations

what are the clinical signs of seminal vesiculitis in the acute phase?

1. Reluctance to mount or copulate

2. Occasionally abdominal pain and hindlimb lameness

what are the clinical signs of seminal vesiculitis in the chronic phase?

Infertility

how will a sperm be abnormal in animals with seminal vesiculitis?

1. Decreased motility

2. Increased pH

3. Pus in the semen

4. Semen leukocytosis

which ruminants is epididymitis more common in?

Small ruminants

what are the clinical signs of epididymitis?

1. Heat

2. Swelling in acute epididymitis

3. Pain

what is epididymitis more commonly associated with?

Maturational defects of the spermatozoa

what type of orchitis is more common?

Unilateral

what can cause orchitis?

1. Direct infection

2. Hematogenous spread of infection

what is acute orchitis associated with?

1. Heat

2. Swelling

3. Pain

how is the effect of localized inflammation from orchitis?

May cause temperature dependent degeneration in the unaffected testis to DECREASE SPERM QUALITY

what happens if orchitis progresses to chronic?

Testis will become shrunken and fibrotic with adhesions to tunica and scrotum

MCQ: what is the main difference between testicular hypoplasia and testicular degeneration?

1. Congenital vs. acquired

2. Age of the animal

testicular degeneration

ACQUIRED condition that leads to infertility usually 4-8 weeks after the insult

how are sperm affected with testicular degeneration?

1. Oligiozoospermia

2. Teratozoospermia

3. Immature spermatogenic cells in the semen

testicular hypoplasia

CONGENITAL condition where animal has smaller than normal testes that are usually soft

what should we do to animals with testicular hypoplasia?

Cull as this condition in heritable

what is impotentia generandi?

Poor semen quality

what conditions of the testes can lead to poor semen quality?

1. Cryptorchidism

2. Testicular hypoplasia

3. Testicular degeneration

4. Orchitis

what conditions of the epididymis can lead to poor semen quality?

1. Epididymitis

2. Segmental aplasia of the mesonephric duct