Luteal function, largest follicle, and fertility in postpartum dairy cows treated with 14dCIDR-PGF2α versus 2xPGF2α-Ovsynch for timed AI

A method for timed artificial insemination (AI) that is used for beef cows, beef heifers, and dairy heifers employs progesterone-releasing inserts, such as the controlled internal drug release (CIDR; Zoetis, New York, NY, USA) that are left in place for 14 days. The 14-day CIDR treatment is a method of presynchronization that ensures that cattle are in the late luteal phase of the estrous cycle when PGF(2 alpha) is administered before timed AI. The objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of the 14dCIDR-PGF(2 alpha) program in postpartum dairy cows by comparing it with the traditional "Presynch-Ovsynch" (2xPGF(2 alpha)-Ovsynch) program. The 14dCIDR-PGF(2 alpha) cows (n = 132) were treated with a CIDR insert on Day 0 for 14 days. At 19 days after CIDR removal (Day 33), the cows were treated with a luteolytic dose of PGF(2 alpha), 56 hours later were treated with an ovulatory dose of GnRH (Day 35), and 16 hours later were inseminated. The 2xPGF(2 alpha)-Ovsynch cows were treated with a luteolytic dose of PGF(2 alpha) on Day 0 and again on Day 14. At 12 days after the second PGF(2 alpha) treatment (Day 26), the cows were treated with GnRH. At 7 days after GnRH, the cows were treated with PGF(2 alpha) (Day 33), then 56 hours later treated with GnRH (Day 35), and then 16 hours later were inseminated. There was no effect of treatment or treatment by parity interaction on pregnancies per AI (P/AI) when pregnancy diagnosis was performed on Day 32 (115/263; 43.7%) or Days 60 to 90 (99/263; 37.6%) after insemination. There was an effect of parity (P < 0.05) on P/AI because primiparous cows had lesser P/AI (35/98; 35.7%) than multiparous cows (80/165; 48.5%) on Day 32. Cows observed in estrus after the presynchronization step (within 5 days after CIDR removal or within 5 days after the second PGF(2 alpha) treatment) had greater P/AI than those not observed in estrus (55/103; 53.4% vs. 60/160; 37.5%; observed vs. not observed; P < 0.01; d 32 pregnancy diagnosis). When progesterone data were examined in a subset of cows (n = 208), 55.3% of cows had a "prototypical" response to treatment (i.e., the cow had an estrous cycle that was synchronized by the presynchronization treatment and then the cow responded appropriately to the subsequent PGF(2 alpha) and GnRH treatments before timed AI). Collectively, cows with a prototypical response to either treatment had 52.2% P/AI that was greater (P < 0.001) than the P/AI for cows that had a nonprototypical response (19%) (P/AI determined at 60-90 days of pregnancy). In conclusion, we did not detect a difference in P/AI when postpartum dairy cows were treated with 14dCIDR-PGF(2 alpha) or 2xPGF(2 alpha)-Ovsynch before timed AI. The primary limitation to the success of either program was the failure of the cow to respond appropriately to the sequence of treatments. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.