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Effects of gonadotrophin releasing hormone agonist treatment on oestrous cycle length and superovulatory response in maiden heifers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

L M Birnie
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Department of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen, AB9 1UD University of Aberdeen, Department of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen, AB9 1UD
P J Broadbent
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Department of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen, AB9 1UD
J S M Hutchinson
Affiliation:
University of Aberdeen, Department of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen, AB9 1UD
R G Watt
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Department of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen, AB9 1UD
D F Dolman
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College, Department of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen, AB9 1UD
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Extract

Current variability in superovulatory response prevents the economical production of large numbers of high quality embryos and limits the use of embryo transfer. Pulsatile administration of GnRH (gonadotrophin releasing hormone) elicits pulsatile secretion of LH (luteinising hormone) while chronic treatment with a potent GnRH agonist reduces LH secretion. Using the latter, gonadotrophin-dependent preovulatory antral follicle development may be suppressed, resulting in a uniform cohort of small antral follicles in the absence of a dominant follicle which could then be superstimulated by exogenous gonadotrophin.

Type
Ruminant Reproduction
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 1995

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