Pregnancy Diagnostics Flashcards
General principles of detecting pregnancy
- Failure to return to oestrus
- Detection of protein/endocrinological changes
- Detection of foetus/foetal membranes
- Physical changes associated with dam
- Maternal changes secondary to endocrinological changes
Failure to return to oestrus
- Not useful in bitches - oestrus cycle is 6-7 months (anoestrus for 3-4 months)
- Progesterone profile is the same in non-pregnant as pregnant bitch
- Dam may supress oestrus signs if she has young offspring
- Signs of oestrus may occur during pregnancy
Detection of protein/endocrinological changes
- Pregnancy associated glycoprotein
- Lack of decline of progesterone a defined time after mating (not in bitches)
- Species specific pregnancy specific factors
IFNT in cow/ewe - Species specific gonadotrophin secretion
eCG in mare from day 36 - Placental oestrogens (detect in urine/blood)
- Species-specific hormone changes
Relaxin in bitches
Detection of foetus/foetal membranes
○ Rectal palpation
○ Abdominal palpation
○ Ultrasound examination
○ Radiographic examination
Maternal changes secondary to endocrinological changes
Absence of oestrus
Changes in cervical mucus
Vaginal wall thinning
Examples of Pregnancy Diagnosis in Mare
Lack of progesterone decline after mating
Presence of eCG
Placental oestrogens
Ultrasound to view foetal membranes/conceptus
Rectal palpation - uterine enlargement after 21 days
Examples of pregnancy diagnosis in the bitch
Relaxin increases around day 25
No difference in progesterone
Ultrasound to view conceptus/foetal membranes
Abdominal palpation - spherical appearance for day 28
Radiography - foetal mineralisation from day 45
Examples of pregnancy diagnosis in the cow
- Transrectal ultrasound - from day 28
- Transrectal palpation - from day 35
- Transrectal detection of foetal membrane (membrane slip) - day 35-40
- Transrectal ballottment of foetus - from day 50
- Transrectal palpation of caruncles/cotyledons - from day 80
- Transrectal uterine artery fremitus - from day 85
Accuracy of Rectal palpation in cows
+ Early testing
+++ Positive diagnosis accuracy
++++ Negative diagnosis accuracy
Accuracy of Transrectal ultrasound in cows
++ Early testing
++++ Positive diagnosis accuracy
++++ Negative diagnosis accuracy
Accuracy of milk progesterone in cows
+++ Early testing
++ Positive diagnosis accuracy
+++ Negative diagnosis accuracy
Accuracy of early conception factor in cows
IFNT
++++ Early testing
+ Positive diagnosis accuracy
+ Negative diagnosis accuracy
When can you feel the membrane slip in cows?
30-90 days
When is a fetus palpable in a cow?
From 90 days
When are placentomes palpable in a cow?
from 75 days
Pregnancy diagnosis in the ewe
- (Early pregnancy factor – from day 2)
- Failure to be raddled - day 16-19
- (Elevated milk or plasma progesterone day 18-22)
- Transabdominal ultrasound - from day 30 onwards
○ Detection of fluid filled uterine horn
○ Later detection of cotyledons / carruncles
○ Slightly later examination used to increase accuracy and to determine the number of foetuses - Foetal pulse detector with doppler ultrasound - from day 80
- (Palpation of caudal uterine artery – from day 80)
- (Detection of pregnancy cervical mucus – from day 80)
- Enlargement of abdomen and udder -from day 100
Transabdominal ballottement of foetus - from day 100
Pregnancy diagnosis in the sow
- Failure to return to oestrus - day 18-24
- Elevated plasma progesterone - day 22-24
- Elevated plasma oestrone sulphate – from day 25
- Transabdominal B-mode ultrasound - from day 20
○ Detection of fluid filled uterine horn
○ Detection of embryo later - Foetal pulse detector with doppler ultrasound - from day 30
- (Transrectal uterine artery fremitus - from day 40)
(Vaginal biopsy – from day 40)
Pregnancy diagnosis in the mare
- Failure to return to oestrus - day 18-24
- (Elevated plasma progesterone day 18-20)
- Transrectal ultrasound from day 12 (15 common)
- Transrectal palpation from day 21
- Plasma equine chorionic gonadotrophin from day 60 – 120
- Transrectal ballottement of foetus from day 80
(Plasma or urine oestrogen from day 150)
Pregnancy diagnosis in the bitch
- NOT a lack of return to oestrus
- NOT elevated plasma progesterone
- Transabdominal ultrasound - from day 25
- Plasma relaxin - from day 25
- Plasma acute phase proteins - from day 35
- Abdominal palpation for discrete swellings - day 28
- Radiographic examination - from day 45
- Transabdominal ballottement of the foetus - from day 50
