8-Bovine Noninfectious Infertility

What are factors that interfere with fertility?

Genetics

Management

Nutrition

Developmental

Environment

STRESS

Endocrine

What are treatment options for fertility?

Hormonal/mechanical-in vitro fertilization, embryo transfer, cloning...

Management-suggest strategic plan and follow up...

Developmental-surgical approaches?

Genetics-same genetic pattern NOT necessarily expressed in offspring, clones...(chromosomal vs genetic anomalies)

Culling is always an option!!!

What is apparent anestrus?

Failure to detect estrus

Failure to know that she is pregnant

What is true anestrus?

Insufficient hormonal stimulus

Not cycling

Ovaries not working

Regular anestrus is a sign not a diagnosis

What factors affect anestrus?

Nutrition

Stress

Detect and treat

Pathology

Developmental issues

Management?

What is prepubertal anestrus?

Anestrus caused by the fact that they have not reached puberty yet

What factors can affect prepubertal anestrus with no CL?

Too young

Poor nutrition

Intersex states

What is the lifespan of the CL from the first ovulation post calving?

Short

Pictures of corpus luteum

What is the trends of hormones up to puberty?

What is freemartinism?

Freemartinism is infertility in a female calf that was a twin to a male, caused by shared blood supply in utero leading to exposure to male hormones and AMH, which disrupt normal female reproductive tract development.

What is the pathophysiology of freemartinism?

Shared chorioallantoic membranes

Testicles of male twin develop prior to female

Leads to production of anti-mullerian hormone (AMH)

AMH affects female repro tract and inhibits development of duct systems of female

But not always the ovaries

What cells produce AMH?

Sertolli cells

What percent of Freemartin females are fertile?

10%

Are twins more common in beef or dairy cattle?

Dairy

95% of twins are fraternal/identical?

Fraternal

Sexual differentiation timeline male

Sexual differentiation timeline female

What is the clinical appearance of female freemartinism?

Much variation

Most common apparently normal

Can have small vulva, enlarge clitoris, tuft of hair on ventral vulva

Internal reproductive organs are abnormal

-vestigial ovaries

-suppressed development of paramesonephric duct system

-possible development of male duct system

What is the most common clinical appearance of female freemartin cattle?

Small genital tract

Hypoplastic ovaries

Short vagina

Absent cervix

+/- uterine horns-may be small/vestigial

How do you diagnose freemartinism?

History of twin births

Probe vagina: is 1/3 length of normal vagina (this test finds 80% of affected animals)

Look for presence of Y chromosome with PCR or karyotyping

Fusion of chorioallantois=?

Shared blood

Bunch of stuff about how freemartins get gonads that are kinda like ovaries? idk i hate this lecture

T/F

Multiple freemartin births do not make it to term. Why?

True

Early embryonic death-usually peri-implantational stress (nutrition, heat, shipping, etc) but may contribute to freemartins depending on timeline

What is postpartum anestrus?

The period after calving when a cows ovaries are inactive and she does not return to the estrous cycle

How long is postpartum anestrus?

normally 3-5wks

What are reasons for postpartum anestrus with no CL?

Cystic ovarian degeneration

Metritis (infectious origin)

High producing dairy cows

Suckle suppression in beef cows

Poor nutrition

What are ovarian follicular cysts also known as?

Cystic ovarian degeneration

Ovarian cysts

Cystic ovaries

What defines an ovarian follicular cysts?

Thin walled fluid filled follicular structure >25mm

Can be present on both ovaries

Absence of luteal tissue

Persists for a minimum of 10 days (most important factor)

Can interfere with normal ovarian cyclicity and estrus

What are clinical signs of ovarian follicular cysts?

Anestrus (primary sign)

Some show nymphomania (estradiol)

Irregular estrus intervals

May have "bull like" appearance

How many cows are affected by ovarian follicular cysts annually?

How do they affect the calving interval?

What percent of cows self-recover?

Incidence affects about 10% annually

Increases calving interval by about 50 days

Self recovery in early cyst is about 50% before 1st postpartum ovulation, 20% after

What kinds of cows are ovarian follicular cysts more common in?

High producing dairy cows

-lack of estradiol precursor/metabolic disorders associated with negative energy balance

Ovary histology slide

What are thecal cells?

Specialized ovarian cells that form the outer layer of the follicular wall surrounding the granulosa cells

Stimulated by LH and convert cholesterol to androgens like androstenedione (precursor to estradiol)

What are granulosa cells?

the inner layer of somatic cells that surround the oocyte inside the ovarian follicle

Responsive to FSH alone during preselection and FSH and LH during post selection

Takes the androgens produced by thecal cells and convert them to estrogens

Produces some inhibin as well

Follicle histology slides

How do you treat ovarian follicular cysts?

Spontaneous recovery

Manual ruptured

-not recommended due to adhesions

Lutenize it/lyse it

-GnRH/PGF2A

-hCG/PGF2A

Trans vaginal ultrasound guided aspiration

Progesterone (CIDR) for 7 days then lyse

If unsure of CL or cysts-PGF2A AND GnRH

What is post-service anestrus?

Cow or heifer is bred and fails to cycle again

What are causes of post-service anestrus with no CL?

Usually poor nutrition

Environmental stress

-HEAT

Neoplasia

-granulosa cell tumor (uncommon)

What are causes of prepubertal anestrus with a CL?

Segmental aplasia

-absence of uterine horn ipsilateral to CL

-Freemartinism

-White heifer disease

Hydrometra and mucometra

-may be associated with segmental aplasia

What are causes of postpartum anestrus with a CL?

Pyometra (not common)

What are causes of post-service anestrus with a CL?

Pregancy/maceration

Mummified fetus

What is the definition of aplasia?

Abnormal organ development

What is white heifer disease?

a congenital, heritable genital abnormality found in white heifers of breeds like Belgian Blue and Shorthorn, leading to infertility or sterility. The white coat is a recessive genetic trait linked to defects in the female reproductive tract

What is class 1-4 segmental aplasia?

1: Aplasia of one uterine horn

2: Aplasia of part of both horns

3: Cervical aplasia

4: vaginal aplasia

What is the definition of maceration?

To soften or separate into parts by steeping in a liquid

To soften or decompose by the action of a solvent

To become thin or emaciated; waste away

How do you "treat" mummified fetuses?

Get that boi/gurl out

Serial prostaglandin F2 alpha injections to cause uterine contractions

C section

What is lactational anestrus?

Anestrus causes by the calf weaning. The less the calf suckles the less hormones released from the udders that inhibit cycling

Visual, olfactory and auditory signs of the calf have an effect

What factors affect cycling females that are observed but do not get pregnant?

What are factors that affect cycling females that are observed in estrus, get pregnant (early), but fail to produce a calf?

Fertility is most impaired by what?

Sex chromosome anomalies

-ranges from about 5% decrease to sterile

What are characteristics of X monosomy?

What are characteristics of XXX trisomy?

What are characteristics of XXY trisomy?

What are characteristics of XYY trisomy?

What are characteristics of Robertsonian translocation?

What are characteristics of Reciprocal translocation-X/autosome?

What are characteristics of Reciprocal translocation-Y chromosome?

What are characteristics of translocation X/Y?