Study summary · research use only
Effects of ovum pick-up frequency and FSH stimulation: a retrospective study on seven years of beef cattle in vitro embryo production
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This retrospective beef cattle study compared ovum pick-up (OPU) with and without FSH stimulation over seven years. Data came from 1396 non-stimulated OPU sessions on 81 donors (twice weekly) and 640 sessions after FSH-LH superstimulation on 112 donors (once every 2 weeks). The protocol used a norgestomet ear implant, follicle ablation, and FSH (Ovagen) twice daily on day -3 and day -2, totaling 160 mug FSH and 40 mug LH per donor per cycle, with puncture 48 h after the last injection. Per session, FSH stimulation was associated with significantly more follicles punctured and oocytes retrieved, but over comparable 2-week periods the non-stimulated protocol yielded more. No significant difference in cultured embryos was detected, which the authors interpret as possibly better oocyte developmental competence after stimulation.
Abstract
The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the number of follicles, cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) and cultured In Vitro Produced (IVP) embryos obtained from 1396 non-stimulated Ovum Pick-up (OPU) sessions on 81 donor animals in a twice weekly OPU scheme. Results were obtained from 640 sessions following FSH-LH superstimulation, on 112 donors subjected to OPU once every 2 weeks. The stimulation protocol started with the insertion of an ear implant containing 3 mg norgestomet (Crestar, Intervet, Belgium) 8 days before puncture (day -8). The dominant follicle was ablated by ultrasound-guided follicle puncture on day -6. On day -3 and day -2, cows were injected with FSH (Ovagen, ICP) twice daily (8 am to 8 pm), i.e. a total dose of 160 mug FSH and 40 mug LG per donor per stimulation cycle. Animals were punctured 48 h after the last FSH injection (day 0). Progesterone implants were removed the next day. Stimulated donor cows were treated with this protocol at 14-day intervals. Follicles were visualized with a Dynamic Imaging ultrasound scanner, equipped with a 6.5 MHz sectorial probe. Follicles were punctured with 55 cm long, 18 gauge needles at an aspiration pressure corresponding to a flow rate of 15 ml/min. Cumulus oocyte complexes were recovered and processed in a routine IVF set-up. Results demonstrate that, expressed per session, FSH stimulation prior to OPU increases production efficiency with significantly more follicles punctured and oocytes retrieved. However, when overall results during comparable 2-week periods are considered (four non-stimulated sessions vs one stimulated), more follicles are punctured and more oocytes are retrieved using the non-stimulated protocol. No significant differences in the number of cultured embryos could be detected, indicating that FSH/LH stimulation prior to OPU might have a positive effect on in vitro oocyte developmental competence as more embryos are cultured with less, presumably better-quality, oocytes.
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