Physical properties of bovine cervical mucus during normal and induced (progesterone and/or PGF2alpha) estrus

Ninety two Friesian cows were used to determine physical properties of cervical mucus collected during normal estrus and estrus induced. Estrus was induced using either progesterone (P4) releasing intravaginal devices (PRID) and/or prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha). The animals were assigned to 4 groups (no treatment, a PRID for 12 days plus an injection of 1000 IU PMSG at the removal of the PRID, a double injection of 3 mL PGF2alpha 11 days apart, and a PRID for 7 days plus an injection of PGF2alpha 24 h before the removal of PRID). A number of cows with normal estrus exhibited three consecutive estrus cycles after calving. Cows that had not shown estrus for three months after calving had their reproductive system palpated twice at 10-day intervals, to determine their ovarian activity. Then PRID and/or PGF2alpha was administered to cows that were found to have a palpable corpus luteum in one of two palpations (cycling cows). The cows of the three induced estrous groups were artificially inseminated (AI) twice, while those with normal estrus received only a single AI. Cervical mucus samples were collected from all cows 5 to 30 min before the first AI. Additionally, samples of cervical mucus were collected from 20 cows at their first estrus after the induced estrus. The results are summarized as follows: 1) The physical properties of cervical mucus were similar in the first three normal consecutive estrus cycles after calving. 2) The physical properties of cervical mucus in normal estrus after calving were similar to those in the first estrus after an induced estrus. 3) The pH values for normal estrus were similar to those for induced estrus. 4) Viscosity of cervical mucus in the normal estrous group was significantly lower than that in the induced estrus. Furthermore, significant differences were noticed among the three induced estrous groups. 5) Spinnbarkeit, crystallization and receptivity of cervical mucus (penetration test) were significantly higher in the normal estrous group than in the induced estrous groups, while no difference was detected among induced estrus groups. 6) Pregnancy rates in the normal estrus group were the same as in the induced estrus groups. 7) The percentages of cows in the induced estrous groups that produced cervical mucus with similar viscosity, spinnbarkeit and receptivity (penetration test) characteristics as the normal estrus group, was very low.