Effect of Insemination–Ovulation Interval and Addition of Seminal Plasma on Sow Fertility to Insemination of Cryopreserved Sperm

Abstract

In swine, the use of frozen-thawed (FT) sperm for artificial insemination (AI) is limited because of poor sow fertility, possibly associated with a post-thaw capacitation-like status resulting in fewer fully viable sperm. Sow fertility to AI with FT sperm may improve with deeper deposition of sperm within the female tract, insemination very close to ovulation, or reversal of cryocapacitation by seminal plasma (SP). We performed two experiments to examine these suggestions. In experiment 1, 122 multiparous Yorkshire sows received 600 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin at weaning and 5 mg pLH 80 h later to control time of ovulation. The predicted time of ovulation (PTO) was 38 h after pLH injection. Thereafter, sows were assigned on the basis of parity to a single AI of FT sperm at 2 h before PTO, or at 12 h before PTO, or FT sperm supplemented with 10% SP at 12 h before PTO. Control sows received fresh semen at 12 h before PTO. All semen doses were adjusted to 3 x 10(9) live cells and deposited into the cervix. Experiment 2 employed 99 multiparous crossbred sows and repeated the treatments of experiment 1 except that all FT inseminations were intrauterine. In both experiments, farrowing rates were lower (p < 0.01) following FT inseminations with no effect of time of insemination or of supplemental SP. In experiment 1, litter size was smaller following FT insemination (p < 0.05), but no effect on litter size was evident in experiment 2. Supplemental SP had no effect on litter size in either experiment. The lack of effect of either SP or timing of FT insemination on sow fertility suggests that the non-lethal sperm cryoinjury affecting fertility involves more than just cryocapacitation.

The Fertility of Frozen Boar Sperm When used for Artificial Insemination

“…This fertility window is supported by other studies that show no differences in timing for cryopreserved sperm when inseminations occurred within a −12 to −2 h window relative to ovulation (Abad et al. ). Others have also reported timing of ovulation on cryopreserved boar sperm fertility (Bolarín et al.…”

“…However, with frozen boar sperm, IUI allowed establishment of fertility but did not provide any clear advantage to fertility (Abad et al. ). This appears to be supported by other studies using two billion motile sperm, which resulted in a farrowing rate of 76% and 9.0 pigs born but with no clear advantage to using IUI (Chanapiwat et al.…”

Sperm surface changes and physiological consequences induced by sperm handling and storage

“…Supplementation of seminal plasma to frozen-thawed boar spermatozoa has been reported to improve farrowing rates (Okazaki et al 2009) and litter size . While other studies have found no effects on fertility (Abad et al 2007a) or on the establishment of an oviductal sperm reservoir (Abad et al 2007b). The situation is similar in the ram where cervical insemination of frozen-thawed sorted or non-sorted ram spermatozoa has been reported to improve or Handling-induced sperm surface changes have no effect on field fertility (Maxwell et al 1999, El-Hajj Ghaoui et al 2007, O'Meara et al 2007, Leahy et al 2010b.…”

Advances in Breeding Management and Use of Ovulation Induction for Fixed‐time AI

“…; Abad et al. ). When accompanying eCG‐induced oestrus, controlled ovulation resulted in 15% higher sow farrowing rates and this was maintained with single inseminations (Cassar et al.…”