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Luteal deficiency and embryo mortality in the mare
1Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, Equine Fertility Unit, Mertoun Paddocks, Newmarket, Suffolk, UK.
Reproduction in Domestic Animals = Zuchthygiene
|September 14, 2001
Summary
Mares have a robust system for producing progesterone to maintain pregnancy, involving multiple organs and hormones. Despite this, many mares receive unnecessary progestagen therapy, warranting further research.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Endocrinology
- Veterinary medicine
Background:
- Pregnancy in mares relies on progesterone and 5 alpha-reduced pregnanes.
- Multiple endocrine and reproductive organs contribute to maintaining pregnancy in mares.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the complex hormonal and physiological mechanisms that maintain pregnancy in mares.
- To evaluate the necessity and efficacy of exogenous progestagen therapy in pregnant mares.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on equine pregnancy and progesterone production.
- Analysis of the roles of the corpus luteum, placenta, and fetal adrenal glands.
- Examination of the evidence supporting or refuting the need for exogenous progestagen therapy.
Main Results:
- Equine pregnancy is supported by a multi-component system including the primary corpus luteum, accessory corpora lutea, and placental progestagen production.
- The system is highly redundant and failsafe, particularly after day 40 of gestation.
- Evidence for progesterone deficiency as a cause of early pregnancy loss in mares is limited.
Conclusions:
- The intricate system for progestagen production in mares suggests that exogenous progestagen therapy may often be unnecessary.
- Urgent research is needed to validate or debunk the widespread practice of preventative progestagen administration in pregnant mares.