Ovum Pick Up: Cows Treated With Single Doses of Follicle Stimulating Hormone

Cows treated with single doses of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and ovum pick up (OPU) after 24 hours were evaluated for oocyte recovery, in vitro production of embryos (IVPE), and transferred embryos. To begin evaluations, the ovarian follicles larger than three millimeters in diameters were removed from all cows used in the study. Two days after OPU, 200 milligrams of FSH was given in a single dose in 6 cows (treated). Twenty-four hours after application of FSH, the cows underwent a new OPU session for oocyte retrieval. These procedures were repeated three consecutive times without interval. In control (FSH-free) cows the OPU were performed at intervals of one week or oocyte retrieval. The viable oocytes were submitted to IVPE, and the blastocysts were transferred to the recipients. The mean number of oocytes did not differ (p > 0.05) between control cows (12.1±2.8) and those treated (10.9±1.6). There were also no differences (p > 0.05) in the number (6.6±1.7 and 7.1±0.9, respectively) or in the percentage (54.4±3.3 and 64.5±3.1%, respectively) of viable oocytes between control cows and those treated. The percentage of IVPE and pregnancy did not differ (p > 0.05) between control cows (39.8±2.6% and 44.7±4.8%) and those treated (37.8±2.5% and 39.5±4.1%), respectively. The treatment with single doses of FSH did not significantly alter the evaluated results for oocyte recovery, IVPE and transferred embryos, and, therefore, did not promote significant improvements for the IVPE as a whole.