Pregnancy Loss and Parturition Flashcards

1
Q

what is parturition, technically?

A

pregnancy loss

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2
Q

what 4 factors contribute to increased prenatal loss?

A
  1. nutritional stress
  2. disease of the reproductive tract
  3. endocrine imbalances
  4. aging of gametes prior to fertilization
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3
Q

list the 3 aspects of nutritional stress contributing to increased prenatal loss

A
  1. energy shortages
  2. mineral imbalances
  3. vitamin deficiencies
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4
Q

which out of the 4 increased prenatal loss factors is associated with later stage loss? (3)

A
  1. nutritional stress
  2. disease of repro tract
  3. endocrine imbalances
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5
Q

which one of the 4 prenatal loss factors is associated with early stage loss?

A

aging of gametes prior to fertilization

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6
Q

what fraction of prenatal losses occur in fetal/later stages?

A

1/3

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7
Q

what fraction of prenatal losses occur in earlier, embryonic losses?

A

2/3

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8
Q

when can early embryonic loss occur?

A

even before pregnancy detection

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9
Q

name 2 contributing factors to early embryonic loss

A
  1. maternal recognition failure

2. nonviable embryo

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10
Q

how long post-ovulation can an oocyte survive before being fertilized?

A

8 hours is ideal, after this window embryonic loss risk increases

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11
Q

who signals for parturition?

A

fetus

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12
Q

what 3 factors cause the fetus to change adrenal size in response to stress and signal for parturition?

A
  1. lack of space
  2. lack of gas exchange
  3. lack of nutrients
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13
Q

what hormone drives the cascade of events resulting in parturition?

A

fetal cortisol

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14
Q

what is CRH?

A

corticotropin-releasing hormone

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15
Q

what is ACTH?

A

adrenocorticotropin hormone

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16
Q

what do fetal nutritonal demands and placental insufficiency cause in the fetus?

A
  1. causes the hypothalamus to release CRH,
  2. which tells the anterior pituitary to release ACTH to the adrenal cortex,
  3. resulting in the release of fecal corticosteroids (cortisol)
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17
Q

for the fetus, what is the result of the release of fetal cortisol?

A
  1. lungs produce surfactant
  2. liver stores glycogen
  3. thryoid gets involved in metabolism
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18
Q

why do fetal lungs need to produce surfactant?

A

so that the lungs will stay open after the 1st breath

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19
Q

why does the fetal liver need to store glycogen?

A

because colostrum is not as energy-dense as milk

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20
Q

why does the fetal thyroid need to play a role in metabolism?

A

for thermo-regulation

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21
Q

on the maternal side, what is the result of the release of fetal cortisol?

A

the placentome (placental-maternal interaction) will decrease P4 levels, and increase E2 and PGF2a levels

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22
Q

what is the result of increased E2 levels from the placentome in response to fetal cortisol? (5)

A
  1. gap junctions in uterine myometrium cause uterine contractions
  2. the ovary (CL) produces oxytocin
  3. oxytocin receptors in the uterine endometrium cause the endometrium to release PGF2a to further stimulate uterine contractions (practice contractions)
  4. the ovary (CL) also produces relaxin, which along with straight up E2, leads to cervical ripening/dilation
  5. E2 also triggers CL regression in cows and sows
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23
Q

what is the result of PGF2a release from the placntome in response to fetal cortisol?

A
  1. ovary (CL) is stimulated to release oxytocin and relaxin (works in conjuction to stimulate ovary with E2)
  2. also triggers cow and sow CL regression
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24
Q

when PGF2a is the one stimulating contractions, what type of contractions are these?

A

“practice contractions” sporadic and unorganized

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25
Q

describe the 3 part loop that is the final role of oxytocin

A
  1. in response to increased pressure, sensory neurons in the cervix stimulate
  2. oxytocin release from the posterior pituitary which
  3. stimulates myometrial contractions that increase pressure to keep the loop going
26
Q

how is the fetus initially oriented?

A

on its back

27
Q

what must happpen to the fetus prior to parturition in terms of orientation?

A

it must reorient so that the front feet and head will exit first

28
Q

what is breech?

A

when the rear of the fetus comes out first

29
Q

in what species is fetal orientation NOT important?

A

pigs

30
Q

what does abnormal orientation result in?

A

dystocia

31
Q

what is dystocia

A

difficult delivery; can have multiple causes

32
Q

describe normal fetal presentation in a cow

A

one foot out fron for narrower shoulder delivery, then head

33
Q

list the 3 causes of dystocia

A
  1. excessive fetal size (90% of the problem cause for cows)
  2. abnormal presentation (5% of the problem cause for cows)
  3. multiple births (twins)
34
Q

give the reason why multiple births (twins) is a cause of dystocia for cows

A
  1. twins presented at the same time
  2. one is usually blocking the other
  3. uterus becomes fatigued
35
Q

why does the uterus get fatigued in a multiple birth situation?

A

it is a muscle that will get too tired to contract strongly enough for parturition

36
Q

whay is the main cause of dystocia for horses?

A

abnormal presentations

37
Q

what is another cause of dystocia for horses?

A

fescue toxicosis: causes late delivery, which means a large fetus

38
Q

is it harder or easier to correct backwards presentation as opposed to abnormal, but forward-facing presentation?

A

it becomes much more difficult to correct any kind of backwards presentation

39
Q

list the 4 perinatal fetal changes

A
  1. cardiovascular
  2. thermoregulatory
  3. energy metabolism
  4. immune status
40
Q

describe the cardiovascular perinatal fetal changes

A

ductus arteriosus, foramen ovale, and ductus venosus shunts close and push blood flow through the appropriate organ

41
Q

describe the need and 2 aspects of thermoregulatory perinatal fetal changes

A

fetus must switch to regulating its own temperature, accomplishes by:

  1. increasing metabolism (thyroid activity)
  2. metobolizes brown fat, which produces heat
42
Q

describe the energy metabolism aspect of perinatal fetal changes

A

must store glycogen in liver to rely on until baby begins suckling milk (not colostrum)

43
Q

describe the immune status right at birth of baby

A

born immunologically naive, with only innate immunity, no adaptive immunity whatsoever

44
Q

does a freshly born baby have any antibodies to protect against anything?

A

nope

45
Q

how does a baby obtain passive immunity from the mother?

A

gut is permeable to antibodies in colostrum for the first 1-2 days only

46
Q

will the baby obtain any antibodies that mom is not vaccinated for or has obtained through her life?

A

nope

47
Q

how do rabbits and humans obtain some of their antibodies? what is the result of this?

A

through the placenta; not as immune-compromised at birth

48
Q

after parturition, what happens to uterine myometrium?

A

shrinkage and atrophy

49
Q

after parturition, what happens to the uterine lumen?

A

elimination of bacteria

50
Q

after parturition, what happens to the uterine endometrium?

A

repair of caruncles

51
Q

how long does uterine involution take?

A

2-3 weeks

52
Q

lis the 3 aspects of uterine involution?

A
  1. shrinkage and atrophy of myometrium
  2. elimination of bacteria from lumen
  3. repair of endometrial caruncles
53
Q

describe the cascade that must happen after parturition for return to estrous cyclicity

A
  1. hypothalamus acts on anterior pituitary to
  2. tell the ovaries to release
  3. steroids and stimulate follicular growth for resumption of estrous cycles in 4-10 weeks
54
Q

why does it take 4-10 weeks after parturition for resumption of estrous cyclicity?

A

because the uterus should have finished involution by now and should be ready

55
Q

describe fertility rates after parturition

A

fertility increases with # of estrous cycles after parturition

56
Q

what is the period of no cycling after parturition called in animals?

A

lactational anestrus

57
Q

what is the period of no cycling after parturition called in humans?

A

lactational amenorhea

58
Q

what animals have special postpartum estrus?

A

mares and sows

59
Q

describe postpartum estrus in mares (what its called, when it occurs, and what the fertility depends on)

A

called foal heat, occurs 6-13 days postpartum, and fetility depends on body condition

60
Q

describe postpartum estrus in sows (both types)

A
  1. anovulatory estrus: 3-5 days post-farrowing, behavior only, no ovulation, not fertile
  2. second estrus induced by weaning, is a fertile estrus this time