The aim of the present study was to examine the distribution of oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) in the uterus of sows with reproductive disturbances as well as to study the expression of ERα in relation to plasma oestradiol-17β (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations in the blood. Crossbred 3–4 parity Lithuanian White x Danish Landrace breed sows presenting various reproductive disturbances we...

A total of 135 postpartum suckled zebu cows were assigned randomly at calving to two treatments: cows exposed to vasectomised bulls (Mature Bull Exposure, MBE) and cows not exposed to bulls (No Bull Exposure, NBE) for a period of 150 days postpartum. This study was conducted to determine the influence of bull biostimulation, season and parity on postpartum reproductive performance of Bos indicu...

BACKGROUND Reproduction is the single greatest factor limiting beef cattle production. Previous research on beef suckler luteal activity has largely focused on the mechanisms, and duration, of postpartum anoestrus. However, the temporal pattern of luteal activity after resumption of post-partum ovarian activity, and the impact of pattern type on days open (DO) in purebred beef suckler cows, are...

Merino and crossbred ewes were used to evaluate whether previously ram exposure in late winter could improve the response to further progestagen oestrus synchronization treatment in terms of luteal function and fertilization rate. We used 56 adult Merino and crossbred ewes randomly allocated in two groups, control (C; n= 27) and Male Effect (ME; n= 29), which had been isolated from rams for at ...

A survey of blood selenium (Se) concentrations in Norwegian Red heifers and dry period cows was conducted to reveal possible association to management, feeding, health and fertility. Selenium contents were determined in 254 herd blood samples consisting of pooled samples from individual non-lactating animals from herds in 5 counties. The Se concentrations showed a normal distribution with mean ...

Reproduction in mammals is controlled by the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis under the influence of external and internal factors such as photoperiod, stress, nutrition, and social interactions. Sheep are seasonal breeders and stop mating when day length is increasing (anestrus). However, interactions with a sexually active ram during this period can override the steroid negative feedb...