A preliminary study on the suitability of Cervidil to induce cervical dilation for artificial insemination in ewes

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Cervidil, a prostaglandin E(2) (PgE(2))-releasing vaginal insert used for induction of cervical ripening and labour in women, to enhance the ease of transcervical artificial insemination (TCAI) in anestrous ewes (June). It was hypothesized that the use of Cervidil prior to AI would cause dilation of the cervix, and thus alleviate the difficulty associated with traversing the cervix for semen deposition in sheep. Cervidil was inserted 12h before insemination in six Rideau-Arcott ewes; six ewes served as untreated controls. Semen was deposited into the uterus of all six treated ewes but TCAI was possible only in four of the six control ewes. It can be concluded that Cervidil facilitated transcervical semen deposition in anestrous ewes. The treatment with Cervidil has the promise of a technique to improve transcervical AI and to enable non-invasive embryo transfer procedures in sheep.