Follicular progesterone levels decrease during the period of seasonal infertility in sows

Impaired reproductive performance exhibited by the domestic sow during the late summer and early autumn months is referred to as seasonal infertility. This study was carried out to determine whether there are changes in ovarian morphology and follicular steroidogenesis associated with season, which may be associated with seasonal infertility. Ovaries were collected in pairs from sows sourced from two farms and slaughtered 4 days after weaning during winter and summer. The mean progesterone concentration in follicular fluid (FF) collected from small follicles was lower in summer (701.3 ± 115.54 nm) compared with winter (1235.55 ± 164.47 nm; p<0.001). The mean progesterone concentration in the FF of large follicles was also lower in summer (1469.2 ± 156.51 nm) compared with winter (2470.9 ± 169.13 nm; p<0.001). The number of large surface antral follicles (5-8 mm in diameter) on the ovaries recovered from Farm A sows was higher during summer (17.76 ± 0.56) than in winter (15.38 ± 0.54; p<0.05). Similarly, the number of small follicles (3-4 mm in diameter) on Farm A sow ovaries was higher in summer (8.46 ± 0.66) than in winter (4.63 ± 0.53; p<0.001). In contrast, the number of small follicles on the surface of ovaries recovered from Farm B sows was higher during winter (10.17 ± 1.50) than in summer (6.45 ± 1.00; p<0.01). The number of pre-ovulatory follicles (>8 mm in diameter) was also higher in winter (1.23 ± 1.68) when compared to summer (0.51 ± 0.3; p<0.001) on the ovaries of sows from Farm B. The results suggest that there are seasonal differences in follicular steroidogenesis and ovarian dynamics. These findings add support to the theory that altered follicular steroidogenesis and ovarian morphology may possibly be the mechanism behind reduced reproductive performance during the period of seasonal infertility in sows.