Inferior fertility and higher concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone in dairy cows with longer anogenital distance

Akbarinejad, Vahid; Gharagozlou, Faramarz; Vojgani, M.; Shourabi, Ehsan; Makiabadi, Mohammad Javad Mozaffari

doi:10.1016/j.domaniend.2019.01.011

Cited by 25 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…In the present study, we determined the distribution, variation, and association of AGD with reproductive measures in a population of 1,692 nulliparous Holstein heifers. Mean AGD for heifers, in the present study, was approximately 24, 12, and 7 mm numerically shorter than that of Canadian Holstein cows (131 mm; Gobikrushanth et al, 2017), Irish Holstein-Friesian cows (119 mm; Gobikrushanth et al, 2019), and Iranian Holstein cows (114 mm; Akbarinejad et al, 2019), respectively. Likewise, the mean AGD was 7 mm shorter than that of a subset of 671 Holstein heifers (114 mm) used in the current study, as conveyed in a preliminary report (Carrelli et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 40%

“…Gobikrushanth et al (2017) first characterized AGD in 921 Canadian Holstein cows and found this phenotype to be normally distributed, highly variable, and inversely associated with fertility in parity 1 and 2 cows, but not in parity 3+ cows. Tendencies for more days to first service, lower first-service conception rate, and increased proportion of repeat breeders in long-versus short-AGD groups have been reported in Iranian Holstein cows (Akbarinejad et al, 2019). In an Irish population of Holstein-Friesian cows, AGD was normally distributed and highly variable; however, none of the fertility variables evaluated differed significantly between long-and short-AGD categories (Gobikrushanth et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship of anogenital distance with fertility in nulliparous Holstein heifers

Carrelli

Gobikrushanth

Corpron

et al. 2021

Journal of Dairy Science

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Anogenital distance (AGD), defined as the distance from the center of the anus to the base of the clitoris, in lactating dairy cows of first and second parity, has been reported to be inversely related to fertility and moderately heritable. Thus, AGD may be a useful reproductive phenotype for future genetic selection to improve fertility. The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize AGD in nulliparous dairy heifers; and (2) determine if the inverse relationship between AGD and fertility, found in lactating dairy cows, is also evident in nulliparous heifers. We measured AGD in 1,692 Holstein heifers from 16 herds in Western Canada (Alberta and British Columbia) and one herd in the United States (Washington State). Data were analyzed using MEANS, UNIVARIATE, LOGISTIC, ROC, GLIMMIX, and LIFETEST procedures of SAS (SAS Institute Inc.). Mean (±standard deviation) age at AGD measurement was 13.9 ± 1.5 mo, and AGD was normally distributed with a mean of 107.3 ± 10.5 mm, ranging from 69 to 142 mm. With every 1-mm increase in AGD, the predicted probability of pregnancy was reduced by 1.9%. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to determine the optimum threshold AGD that predicted the probability of pregnancy. Based on the optimum threshold AGD, data from heifers were categorized into short (≤110 mm) and long (>110 mm) AGD groups, and associations between AGD groups and fertility measures were determined. Heifers with short AGD required fewer services per conception (1.5 vs. 1.7) than heifers with long AGD. Consequently, heifers with short AGD conceived earlier (448.4 vs. 454.3 d) and had greater pregnancy to first AI than those with long AGD (58.3 vs. 49.6%). Moreover, heifers with long AGD had reduced hazard (hazard ratio of 0.59) for pregnancy up to 450 d of life compared with those with short AGD. In summary, AGD was normally distributed and highly variable in the population. In addition, an inverse relationship between AGD and fertility measures in nulliparous heifers was evident, confirming an earlier report of a similar relationship in lactating dairy cows. These findings strengthen the potential for AGD to be used as a fertility trait and management tool in future selection programs.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 40%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship of anogenital distance with fertility in nulliparous Holstein heifers

Carrelli

Gobikrushanth

Corpron

et al. 2021

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Anogenital distance measurements differed (P < 0.01) by age from birth until approximately 16 mo, and were normally distributed in heifer calves and within the stages of the estrous cycle, gestation, and lactation in mature cows. Similarly, AGD was normally distributed in studies with larger numbers of cattle (Gobik-rushanth et al, 2017;Akbarinejad et al, 2019;Carrelli et al, 2021).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Gobikrushanth et al (2017) recently characterized AGD in Canadian Holstein cows and reported a greater pregnancy per AI and cumulative pregnancy risk by 250 DIM in first-and second-parity cows with short AGD (≤127 mm) than in those with long AGD (>127 mm). Other studies have also reported such inverse associations between AGD and indices of fertility in dairy cattle (Akbarinejad et al, 2019;Carrelli et al, 2021Carrelli et al, , 2022Grala et al, 2021). A heritability estimate of 0.37 was later reported for AGD in Irish Holstein-Friesian cows (Gobikrushanth et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Repeatability of anogenital distance measurements from birth to maturity and at different physiological states in female Holstein cattle

Rajesh

Gobikrushanth

Carrelli

et al. 2022

Journal of Dairy Science

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The inverse association between anogenital distance (AGD; the distance from the center of the anus to the base of the clitoris) and fertility, its moderate heritability, and high variability reported in dairy cattle make AGD a promising candidate for further exploration as a reproductive phenotype. In addition to heritability, repeatability (i.e., consistency in measurements taken at different time points) is important for a reproductive phenotype to be considered useful in genetic selection. Therefore, our primary objective was to determine the repeatability of AGD from birth to breeding age (≈16 mo) in Holstein heifer calves, and during different stages of the estrous cycle, gestation, and lactation in Holstein cows. We also determined the associations among AGD, height (at the hip), and body weight (BW) at birth. In calves (n = 48), we recorded BW (kg) and height (cm) at birth and measured AGD (mm) at approximately 0, 2, 6, 9, 12, and 16 mo of age. In cows, AGD was measured at different stages of the estrous cycle (proestrus, estrus, metestrus and diestrus; n = 20), gestation (30, 90, 180, and 270 d; n = 78), and lactation (30-300 d in milk in 30-d increments; n = 30). Calf height and BW at birth had a weak positive association with AGD at birth. The AGD increased linearly from birth to breeding age, but there was no association between the AGD at birth and at breeding age in heifers. Although any 2 consecutive AGD measurements were correlated, 6 mo was the earliest age at which AGD was moderately correlated (r = 0.41) with that of breeding-age heifers. The AGD was neither influenced by the different stages of estrous cycle nor lactation and remained highly repeatable (r ≥ 0.95). Although AGD measurements at 30, 90, and 180 d of gestation (126.9, 126.7, and 127.7 mm, respectively) were strongly correlated (r ≥ 0.97) with each other, AGD at 270 d of gestation (142.8 mm) differed from AGD at all earlier stages of gestation. In summary, AGD measured at birth did not reflect AGD at breeding age in heifers, but AGD measurements in cows had high repeatability at all stages of the estrous cycle, gestation, and lactation, except at 270 d of gestation. Therefore, AGD could be measured reliably at any of the aforesaid physiological states in cows due to its high repeatability, except during late gestation. The earliest gestational stage when pregnancy-associated increase in AGD occurred, however, could not be definitively established in the present study.

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“…Given that gestation is longer than dairy cows in water buffaloes, selection by a negative breeding value to gestation length could be evaluated. Recently in two studies, a negative relationship between anogenital distance and pregnancy rate in dairy cows was observed [220,221]. This could be considered a new phenotype for genetic selection for higher fertility, and in dairy cows, the heritability of anogenital distance was 0.37±0.08 [222].…”

Section: Alternatives To Improve the Reproductive Performance Of Water Buffaloesmentioning

confidence: 93%

Reproductive Performance of Water Buffalo Cows: A Review of Affecting Factors

Nava-Trujillo¹,

Valeris-Chacín²,

Morgado-Osorio³

et al. 2020

J. Buffalo Sci.

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This article aims to review both the economic impact of reproductive failures on the profitability of water buffalo systems and the effect of different factors on the reproductive performance of water buffaloes. Besides, an overview of various non-hormonal alternatives to improve reproductive performance is made. The optimal reproductive efficiency in water buffaloes implies calving to conception interval around 90 days to reach a calving interval of 400 days, with longer calving intervals having a negative impact on profitability. Reproductive efficiency is the consequence of the interaction of genetic and non-genetic factors, and the recognition of these factors by analyzing the reproductive information must be a priority. Although each factor's impact can be of greater or lesser magnitude depending on the conditions of each herd, some factors like nutrition, milk yield, body condition score, negative energy balance, parity, bull presence, low estrus intensity, and season can be considered high-impact factors. Not all factors are common among farms; therefore each farm must implement a program for the identification, control, and prevention of reproductive problems, especially during early lactation, to prevent a long anestrus; and when artificial insemination is used, so that it is done at the correct time with respect to the beginning of estrus to enhance fertility.

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Inferior fertility and higher concentrations of anti-Müllerian hormone in dairy cows with longer anogenital distance

Cited by 25 publications

References 43 publications

Relationship of anogenital distance with fertility in nulliparous Holstein heifers

Relationship of anogenital distance with fertility in nulliparous Holstein heifers

Repeatability of anogenital distance measurements from birth to maturity and at different physiological states in female Holstein cattle

Reproductive Performance of Water Buffalo Cows: A Review of Affecting Factors

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