Embryo transfer in cattle: an evaluation of the current situation

A technique for the transcervical recovery of ova in cattle is described. The donors recipient pool consisted of 122 cows of different ages and 4 different breeds. Of these 102 cows were superovulated. For recovery of ova an apparatus consisting of a metal catheter glued to the inside of a 3-way Foley catheter was used. The technique used for embryo transfer was basically the same as for collecting the embryos. The 102 donors yielded at slaughter a total of 956 corpora lutea i.e. an average of 9,4 per cow. Of the ova released 294 or 30% were recovered on transcervical flushing of the uterus. 40% of the inovulated cows conceived. The future development of inovulation in cattle is discussed on the basis of the results recorded and on those previously documented.