Lecture 19,20 - Pregnancy Diagnosis Flashcards
When you make a pregnancy diagnosis, is 95% chance good enough?
No - when in doubt, be absolutely uncertain. Either 100% she is pregnant or 100% she is not pregnant. Anything else, you say “I do not know”
To see if the bovine has a persistent CL, you can measure progesterone between days ____ and ___ in serum and milk.
18-23
Is measuring progesterone levels pregnancy specific?
No, but highly suggestive
Why might a progesterone measurement in the bovine result in false positive?
Was pregnant, but lost the pregnancy after maternal recognition of pregnancy.
In the bovine, you can do a transrectal palpation for pregnancy detection beginning at ___ days after insemination.
30
What are the four positive signs of pregnancy in the bovine?
Transrectal palpation of the amniotic vescile, fetal membrane slip, fetus, and/or placentomes.
When can you palpate the amniotic vesicle in the bovine?
Day 30 (35)
When can you palpate the fetal membrane slip (allanto-chorion) in a cow?
from day 35 (42)
When can you palpate the fetus in the bovine?
From day 60
When can you palpate placentomes in the bovine?
Day 75 (90)
Is palpating a fetus in the bovine trasnrectally a definitive diagnosis for pregnancy?
Yes
Upon transrectal palpation, where can you locate the pelvic floor? Is it the same in older cows who have experienced many pregnancies?
On the pelvic floor
In older cows, the caudal ring of hte cervix can be located over the brim of the pelvis, even when not pregnant.
In the bovine, assymetry of the uterine horns, CL on ovary ipsilateral to large horn, inability to retract cervix into the pelvis, and fluid inside the uterine lumen are all _____ signs of pregnancy.
Suggestive (NOT positive)
Besides a suggestive sign of pregnancy, what else can fluid inside the uterine lumen suggest?
- Pyometra
- Hydrometra
- Urinary bladder
How do you differentiate a pyometra from fetal fluid in the bovine?
In a pyometra, the uterus has thick walls, both horns are expanded, and there are NO placentomes/membrane slips/or a palpable fetus.
How do you differentiate a hydrometra from fetal fluid in the bovine?
A hydrometra is accumulation of uterine milk in the abscence of infection. The uterus has thin walls, unlike a pyometra that has thick walls. And there are no palpable placentomes/membrane slips/fetus.
What is a fremitus?
A fremitus is a palpable vibration in the middle of the uterine artery due to increased blood flow to the uterus. This can be suggestive of pregnancy, but not a positive finding.
Fremitus in a pregnant bovine can be felt from ___ months in the pregnant horn, and from ___ months in the contra-lateral horn.
5; 7
When might fremitus occur other than pregnancy?
Fremitus will be present in any condition associated with increased blood flow to the uterus, including pyometra, hydrometra, or post-partum.
In the bovine, a uterus that is not retractable is usually associated with pregnancy > __ days.
70
Differentials for a non-retractable uterus in the bovine other than pregnancy:
- Poor hand strength or technique by palpator
- Pyometra
- Hydrometra
- Fetal mummy (uterus remains enlarged with dead fetus)
- Uterine/ovarian tumor
- Adhesions (abdominal surgery leading to adhesions of the uterus)
What is the first thing you can palpate during gestation in the bovine?
Amnionic vesicle
Why is palpating the membrane slip in the bovine useful from days 35-90 of gestation?
Can first be felt on day 35 of gestation, and after day 90, other structures such as placentomes can be used to detect pregnancy.
The membrane slip can detect a pregnant horn at 35 days, and can detect in a non-pregnant horn at 70 days.
WHen palpating for a membrane slip in the bovine, compress the uterine horn immediately ____ to the cervix and allow the ______ membrane to slip between the fingers.
Cranial; chrioallantoic
Descent into the abdomen of the bovine fetus begins at ___ days of gestation.
70
The descent of the fetus is in the bovine is complete at ___ days of gestation.
150
When does the fetus start to “ascend” in the bovine, i.e. fetus starts to expand, allowing parts of him to protrude through the rectal wall?
210 days
When is the fetal “ascent” complete in hte bvoine during gestation?
240 days
By in large, it is difficult to feel the fetus during during which trimester of pregnancy? And in most cases, you can feel the fetus in which trimester?
During hte first trimester, you most likely will not feel the fetus (in some cases, as early as 70 days however). It is difficult to feel the fetus in the 2nd trimester (days 90-180). And you can usually feel the fetus easily by the third trimester until term.
In the bovine, the crown-to-nose size at 70 days is how many fingers? At 120 days?
At 70 days - 1 finger; at 120 days - Hand + thumb
In the bovine, the fetus at two months is close to the size of what animal?
Mouse
In the bovine, the fetus is close to the size of what animal at 9 months?
Small calf.
How are placentomes formed?
By union of the fetal cotyledons with the maternal caruncles.
The cow has ___ caruncles arranged in __ rows.
120; 4
Whan palpating for prengnacy , it is important to palpate at least ___ placentomes. Why?
3 - if you palpate only two, they can be mistaken for the ovaries
When palpating placentomes in the bovine, the size of hte placentomes located near the ____ is used to estimate stage of gestation.
cervix
Are placentomes in the bovine just as discrete during the third trimester or pregnancy as the second?
No, placentomes are discrete until about day 180 of gestation, where they start to become flatter and more plaque like.
The size of a placentome at 90 days of gestation? At 180 days?
90 days = 1-1.5 cm (dime)
180 days = 4-5 cm (eisonhower silver dollar)
What can you palpate in a bovine during her first trimester?
Amniotic vesicle (D30+)
Membrane slip (D35+)
Fetus (D60+)
Placentomes - BARELY palpable in late first trimester.
What can you palpate in a bovine during the second trimester?
Placentomes!
Fetus is likely out of reach, but may be found by ballottement
What canyou palpate in a bovine during the 3rd trimester?
Large fetus easily reachable in caudal abdomen
Placentomes may be hard to palpate as uterine wall becomes taut + placentomes feel thinner and less discrete
You can detect pregnancy in the cow as early as day ___ via transrectal U/S.
25
On U/S, a non-pregnant uterus is hyperechoic or hypoechoic?
Hyperechoic - ventral part of the dorsal horn and dorsal part of the ventral horn lie ontop of eachother
Using U/S, what is the earliest day that you can see placentomes in the bovine?
day 50
Using U/S, how can you tell the difference between day 33 and day 50 of gestation in the cow?
Day 33 - you see an embryo inside an amniotic vessicle (circular)
Day 50 - you can actually see a fetus elongating
To do an accurate determination of gestational age by U/S, it needs to be done in what trimester only?
First trimester only!!
Fetal sexing with transrectal U/S can be done on day 60-75 to find the location of _____, or between days 80+ to find the ____ or ____.
Genital tubercle; scrotum or teats
How can you determine the sex of the fetus by looking at the genital tubercle between 60-75 days?
The genital tubercle is in a sex-neutral position for 60 days, until which in the male fetus, it will stay in the same position, while in the female fetus, it it move to come lie underneath the tail head (will form the vulva).
Describe BioPRYN
Biochemical pregnancy test that tests for pregnancy specific protein B (PSP B) from day 30+ in cows and nannies, and from day 22+ in ewes.
It is a lab test, and cannot be done on the farm.