Oocyte recovery and in vitro embryo production in cows treated with a single dose of follicle-stimulating hormone

Abstract

Cows were treated with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in a single dose and then subjected to ovum pickup (OPU) for evaluation of oocyte recovery and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Cows underwent OPU followed by application of FSH (200 mg) on day 2 and new OPU on day 3. This methodology was repeated 3 times sequentially. In FSH-free the cows (control), OPU was performed at intervals of one week. The number of oocytes recovered was higher in the control cows (22.2 ± 1.5) compared to the treated cows (16.9 ± 1.4; P < 0.05). There was no difference between the control (13.2 ± 0.6) and the treated (11.2 ± 1.1) cows in the number of viable oocytes (P > 0.05). There was no difference between the control cows (47.1 ± 4.2%) and the treated cows (45.3 ± 7.7%) with respect to the percentage of embryos (P > 0.05). There were no differences in pregnancy for the blastocysts between the control and the treated cows (50.0 ± 2.1 and 47.3 ± 2.5%; P > 0.05), respectively. In conclusion, the single-dose FSH protocol did not significantly alter the evaluated results of viable oocytes, in vitro production of embryos, or pregnancy percentage. However, there is a possibility of several consecutive OPU/IVF sessions every three days.