Open Access Mini Review

Causes of Infertility in Cows

Alejandro Córdova Izquierdo*1, Juan Eulogio Guerra Liera2, Abel Edmundo Villa Mancera3, Rubén Huerta Crispín3, Adrin Emmanuel Iglesias Reyes1, Ma de Lourdes Juárez Mosqueda4, Armando Gómez Vázquez5, Jaime Olivares Pérez6, Blanca Estela Rodriguez Denis7 and Raúl Sánchez Sánchez7

1Department of Agricultural and Animal Production, Metropolitan Autonomous University Xochimilco Unit, Mexico

2Faculty of Agronomy, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Mexico

3Faculty of Agronomy, Autonomous University of Sinaloa, Mexico

4Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico

5Academic Division of Agricultural Sciences, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Mexico

6 University Academic Unit, Autonomous University of Guerrero, Mexico

7Private practice, Mexico

Corresponding Author

Received Date: May 27, 2019;  Published Date: June 07, 2019


Abstract

Despite the advances that exist today on feasible technologies applied in breeding and animal production, few farmers or ranchers have shown concern for improving the general environmental conditions of their Units of Animal Production, without taking into account that these conditions are largely responsible for animal health, welfare altering them and impacting significantly in the presence of problems of reproductive and productive nature, significantly increasing production costs in the dairy industry. In this paper, some nutritional causes that can cause reproductive disorders in cows are described.

Introduction

Most of the chronic nutritional deficiencies determine, first, a decrease in the rate of growth; In adult animals, loss of muscle status, weakness and death. Nutrition infertility can be present in cases such as: if the amount of food available is limited during the stages of growth of heifers, from weaning to puberty, at the end of gestation and during the first few days Which follow calving, when pastures or forage crops occur on lands that have insufficient amounts of minerals considered essential for reproduction. The most common minerals are: cobalt, copper, manganese, phosphorus and selenium [1].

The effect of the metabolic changes caused by the negative energy balance (BEN), caused by the energy-poor diet, provided to high producing cows, causes low fertility; Which is caused when highprotein diets are administered in relation to energy consumption. Diets with crude protein content of 17 to 19% may cause decreased fertility; Cows fed this way have high concentrations of urea and ammonia in blood and uterine fluids, which affects the viability of sperm, oocytes and embryos [2].

Blood urea concentrations greater than 20 mg/dl are associated with low fertility. In in vitro conditions, it has been observed that concentrations equivalent to those that would have the cows consuming diets high in protein, affect the embryonic development, which is reflected in a reduction of the proportion of embryos that arrive at the state of blastocyst.

In order to supply all the nutrients to the high producing cows, it obliges to offer high energy diets based on high proportions of grains, whose effect is reflected in subclinical alterations in ruminal pH, being associated to problems of low fertility, due to loss of Gestations caused by ruminal acidosis. A proposed hypothesis of the mechanism of this phenomenon is that the diet high in grain content, causes acidosis and an elevation of free endotoxins, causing release of prostaglandin F2α and regression of the corpus luteum.

We can say that poor nutrition is one of the major causes of reduced fertility in cattle in tropical/ subtropical areas. Reproductive research in the postpartum period indicates that body condition estimation (CC) is a useful indicator of the energy status and reproductive performance of dairy cows [3]. The following are the most important components to be taken into account for the good nutritional and nutritional management of dairy cows.

Energy

A negative energy balance is the main source of the problem, the origin of which is low consumption of energy-rich food [4]. In addition, other postpartum reproductive disorders may occur, such as delayed ovulation, prolonged open days, and periods of infertility, which may be temporary or permanent.

Vitamins

The absence or deficiency of vitamin A and beta-carotene in the feeding and nutrition of farm domestic females results in reproductive disorders, including placental retention. Another of the vitamins involved in the problem is the E, whose consideration is diet is fundamental, as well as vitamin C. These vitamins are natural antioxidants and their presence in nutrition is critical for the prevention of placental retention and other disorders [5].

Minerals

The presence of micronutrients, like minerals in the feeding of reproductive animals, both females and males, is of fundamental importance. Many reproductive failures, including placental retention, could be avoided by including small amounts of the following minerals in the diet: Selenium, copper, molybdenum and zinc [5-15]. The following Table 1 shows the role of some micronutrients in the reproductive performance of dairy cows and in the reproduction of animals in general (Table 1).

Table 1: Function of micronutrients in animal reproduction [2,5].

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Acknowledgment

None.

Conflict of Interest

No conflicts of interest.

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