Sperm transport after non-surgical intrauterine insemination with frozen semen in ewes treated with prostaglandin F-2

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Abstract
Of 57 treated ewes, 37 (64.9%) exhibited estrus within 5 days of the PG[prostaglandin]F-2.alpha. and this proportion compared well with the 29.6% (50/169) of control ewes which became estrus within the period of study (i.e., about 60% if a complete estrous cycle of 16.5 days were followed). There were no differences in numbers of spermatozoa recovered from any parts of the tract of the PGF-2.alpha.-treated or control animals. There were statistically significant differences between the groups when the cervical and intrauterine insemination methods with frozen-thawed semen were compared for numbers of spermatozoa in the uterus. Higher numbers of uterine spermatozoa after deposition of semen directly into the uterus would be expected, but higher numbers of cervical spermatozoa in the control than in the treated ewes after intrauterine insemination may be due to uterine contractions caused by the PGF-2.alpha. treatment. This is unlikely because of the rapid disappearance of PGF-2.alpha. from the circulation after i.m. injection, as was shown previously. The pattern of sperm transport was not affected by PGF-2.alpha. treatment, but nonsurgical intrauterine insemination with frozen-thawed semen appeared to increase the number of spermatozoa recovered from the oviducts. Moreover, far more (P < 0.001) of the spermatozoa in the oviducts were intact (i.e., not tailless) after intrauterine insemination (64% in treated group, 60% in controls) than after cervical insemination (37% and 19%, respectively). The impairment of sperm transport which was previously observed after progestagen treatment of ewes does not occur when PGF-2.alpha. is used to induce estrus. Deposition of semen into the uterus by nonsurgical methods might increase the chances of the spermatozoa passing rapidly into oviducts without damage or loss of fertilizing capacity.

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