Laparotomic intrauterine insemination with frozen-thawed semen in Sopravissana breed ewes in Central Italy

Abstract

Intrauterine laparoscopic insemination is diffuse in sheep breeding, yet requires veterinary expertise and expensive equipment. Our aim was to evaluate the time required, reproductive outcome and post-operative complications of mini invasive laparotomic intrauterine insemination, as an alternative approach to laparoscopy. A total of 115 Sopravvissana breed ewes were enrolled, including 75 adults and 40 lamb ewes, after oestrus synchronisation. Ewes were sedated and restrained in dorsal recumbence. Uterine horns were exposed through an abdominal incision of 4–7 cm, cranially to the udder. Thawed semen, containing 100 × 106 progressive motile (70%) and morphologically normal (80%) sperm cells, was inoculated into uterine lumen through an intravenous catheter. The abdominal incision was then routinely closed. The time interval for: (a) laparotomy and uterine exteriorisation, (b) intrauterine insemination, (c) abdominal wall closure and (d) total procedure was recorded. Pregnancy, lambing, twinning rates and sex ratio were submitted to chi-square test, comparing lamb and adult ewes. Time intervals and the duration of laparotomic procedure were compared in lamb and adults through Mann–Whitney U test for independent samples. Median ± standard error (SE) of total time for laparotomic intrauterine insemination was 5.53 ± 0.07 and 4.99 ± 0.11 min, for adult and lamb ewes (p