cloprostenol and Hemorrhage

Haemorrhage into the dominant follicle during the reproductive season is a subtle but definitive cause of infertility in the mare population. This condition however can be of high relevance for an individual in which its incidence is abnormally high. Little is known about the nature and factors affecting the incidence of haemorrhagic anovulatory follicles (HAFs) in the mare. The objectives of the study were to define and characterize the ultrasonographic development and incidence of HAFs and to investigate possible risk factors influencing its occurrence. Detailed reproductive and ultrasound records of seven mares studied during their entire reproductive lives (>10 years and 612 oestrous cycles) were analysed retrospectively and computed into a statistical mixed model. Of all animal studied, two mares were found to have an unusually high incidence of HAFs of approximately 25%. Time of season and use of induction treatments (Cloprostenol) were found to influence its incidence. It appears that early-enhanced stimulatory effect of LH on an ovary with the presence of small and immature follicles might increase the risk of ovulatory failure of those follicles later in the cycle. Mares during the months of highest follicular activity (May to August) and after treatment with hormones to induce oestrus and ovulation are at greater risk to develop HAFs. The potential relevance of this study is two folds: clinical relevance for the practitioner to better understand this condition and so improve reproductive management of mares with abnormally high incidence; and to provide useful insights for researchers willing to further investigate the nature of this phenomenon.

Topics: Animals; Anovulation; Cloprostenol; Female; Hemorrhage; Horse Diseases; Horses; Infertility, Female; Luteolytic Agents; Ovarian Diseases; Ovarian Follicle; Ovulation Induction; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Seasons; Ultrasonography

The association between use of hormone treatments to induce estrus and ovulation and the incidence of hemorrhagic anovulatory follicles (HAFs) was studied in a mixed population of mares (Equus caballus) during two breeding seasons in a commercial breeding clinic. Mares treated with cloprostenol (CLO) were more likely to develop HAFs than were mares with spontaneous cycles (P<0.001) or those treated with human chorionic gonadotropin alone (P=0.08). There was no significant effect of season on the incidence of HAFs. The mean (+/-SEM) interval from CLO treatment to beginning of HAF development was 6.1+/-0.5 d. Age of mares with HAF cycles was not different (12+/-1.3 yr; P>0.05) from that of mares with ovulatory cycles (10.5+/-1.5 yr).

Topics: Animals; Anovulation; Chorionic Gonadotropin; Cloprostenol; Female; Hemorrhage; Hormones; Horse Diseases; Horses; Incidence; Luteolytic Agents; Ovarian Diseases; Ovarian Follicle; Reproductive Control Agents; Retrospective Studies; Seasons