[Deep intrauterine insemination in cattle]

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Science
• Animal Reproduction
• Reproductive Technologies

Context:

• Current artificial insemination (AI) in cattle primarily uses uterine body deposition with rigid devices.
• Achieving accurate uterotubal junction (UTJ) insemination requires specialized devices capable of navigating cervical and uterine horn anatomy.
• A novel Ghent device has been developed at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Ghent to facilitate semen deposition near the UTJ in cattle.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the newly developed Ghent device for AI in cattle.
• To compare pregnancy rates between conventional uterine body insemination and UTJ insemination using the Ghent device with varying semen doses.
• To assess the impact of reduced frozen-thawed spermatozoa doses on pregnancy outcomes with both conventional and Ghent devices.

Summary:

• Field trials involving 4,064 dairy cows assessed the Ghent device for uterine body and UTJ insemination.
• Pregnancy rates were comparable across groups using conventional or Ghent devices, even when insemination doses were reduced from 12 to 4 million spermatozoa.
• The Ghent device is disposable, non-toxic to spermatozoa, user-friendly for single-person operation, and field-adaptable.

Impact:

• The study demonstrates that reduced semen doses (down to 4 million spermatozoa) do not negatively impact pregnancy rates with the Ghent device.
• Future trials aim to explore the potential of UTJ insemination with the Ghent device using lower quality or sexed semen.
• The Ghent device offers a practical solution for improving AI precision and potentially optimizing semen usage in cattle reproduction.