Influence of Ovarian Status and Steroid Hormone Concentration on Day of Timed Artificial Insemination (TAI) on the Reproductive Performance of Dairy Cows Inseminated with Sexed Semen

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The use of sexed semen results in a decrease in the number of cows required for progeny testing, the fast production of replacement dairy heifers and a significant reduction in the herd renewal period. Due to some of the disadvantages of sex-sorted semen, such as lower concentration, morphological damage and sperm of lower fertility, there are many problems related to the selection of animals appointed to estrus synchronization programs for artificial insemination with sexed semen. The present study showed a strong relationship between ovarian status, the size of the PF and the estradiol and progesterone concentrations on the day of TAI and the reproductive performance of dairy cows, irrespective of the estrus synchronization treatment used. In this context, the simple and cost-effective ultrasound examination of cows’ ovaries on the day of TAI can be a reliable tool for the selection of candidates for sex-sorted semen application. ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the ovarian status and steroid hormone concentration on the day of TAI on the reproductive performance of dairy cows subjected to estrus synchronization treatment and timed artificial insemination with sexed semen. Seventy-eight cyclic Holstein cows pre-treated with PGF2α-GnRH were divided in two groups—I (Preselect-OvSynch, n = 38) and II (OvSynch+PRID-7-day+eCG, n = 40)—and inseminated with sexed semen. The presence of preovulatory follicle (PF) with or without corpus luteum (CL), the PF diameter, the estradiol (E(2)) and progesterone (P(4)) concentrations on the day of TAI, the pregnancy rate (PR) and embryo loss were determined. On the day of TAI, 78.4% of all the pregnant cows presented a PF (mean size 1.80 ± 0.12 cm) without CL, low P(4) (0.59 ± 0.28 ng/mL) and high E(2) (12.35 ± 2.62 pg/mg) concentrations. The positive correlation between the size of the PF and the level of E(2) in the pregnant cows from group II was stronger than that of group I (R = 0.82 vs. R = 0.52, p < 0.05). The pregnancy rate on day 30 (57.5% vs. 36.8%) and day 60 (50% vs. 26.3%; p < 0.05) and the embryo losses (13% vs. 28.5%) showed better effects of treatment in group II. In conclusion, the ovarian status and the steroid hormone concentration on the day of TAI influence the pregnancy rates of dairy cows subjected to estrus synchronization and timed artificial insemination with sexed semen.