Fertility and the transition dairy cow

Abstract

The transition from pregnancy to lactation (i.e. the transition period) is a time of significant metabolic challenge, with a several-fold increase in a cow’s requirement for energy, protein and minerals within days of calving. A successful transition involves the initiation and coordination of changes in multiple tissues that facilitate the provision of these nutrients to the cow and, more specifically, to the mammary gland, often at the considerable expense of other tissues. Failure to coordinate the necessary changes effectively results in transition period maladaptation, which can broadly be grouped into three categories: (1) negative energy balance and metabolic diseases associated with energy metabolism; (2) immune dysfunction and inflammation; and (3) metabolic diseases associated with mineral deficiency. Because reinitiation of ovarian activity, follicle recruitment, ovulation, fertilisation and, potentially, even maternal recognition of pregnancy and implantation occur against the backdrop of this metabolic and immunological disturbance in early lactation, the role of nutrition in ensuring a smooth transition between the pregnant and lactating state is important. In this paper we integrate recent research findings with previous knowledge of the interaction between transition cow metabolism and nutrition and reproductive outcomes, and offer new insights into key elements of successful cow management to avoid transition ‘maladaptation’ and improve pregnancy rates.

Genetic selection for bovine chromosome 18 haplotypes associated with divergent somatic cell score affects postpartum reproductive and metabolic performance

“…Schuberth, 2 and Ch. Kühn 6,11 diseases also show metabolic disorders (Raboisson et al, 2014;Vercouteren et al, 2015;Mostert et al, 2018), and several authors have demonstrated the connection between the capacity of immunological defense strategies and metabolic regulatory mechanisms (Overton and Waldron, 2004;Roche et al, 2017;Wankhade et al, 2017). In the future, it will be important to reconcile economic efficiency and ethical requirements by breeding cows that are high-yielding as well as healthy and long-lived.…”

Strategies for increasing fertility in high productivity dairy herds

“…In the transition period -three weeks prepartum up to three weeks after calving -there are major adaptive changes (physiological, metabolic and nutritional) characterizing the final period of gestation and the beginning of lactation. The way these changes occur and how they are managed are of great importance because they are closely linked to the performance of lactation, the occurrence of after calving diseases (clinical and subclinical) and reproductive efficiency, significantly affecting the profitability of the herds (Roche et al, 2018).…”

“…The occurrence of negative energy balance, high concentrations of fatty acids, b-hydroxybutyrate and triacylglycerol in the liver, coincide with the resumption of ovarian activity, development of follicles that supply oocytes for fertilization and uterine involution and remodeling (Roche et al, 2018). Thus, together, these processes and metabolic states can affect pre and post-ovulatory reproductive function (Luttgenau et al, 2016).…”

“…The herd of dairy cows has been selected and managed for high yield and efficiency (Roche et al, 2018). Thus, the findings of physiological mechanisms made early in the last century provided insights for the development and enhancement of technologies and programs used today to control reproduction in dairy cattle.…”

Metabolic health, the metabolome and reproduction in female cattle: a review

“…The relationships between body condition, metabolic status, liver function and reproduction, have been studied extensively in periparturient and early lactation dairy cows (Roche et al 2007(Roche et al , 2009(Roche et al , 2011(Roche et al , 2013(Roche et al , 2018LeBlanc 2012;Sundstrum 2015;Overton et al 2017). In the period before calving, there is an increase in glucose demand for foetal growth and after calving glucose is required for milk production.…”