In vitro fertilization in the horse. A retrospective study

Abstract

Since the first successful collection of oocytes by non-surgical puncture, there have been numerous attempts to fertilize them but few segmented embryos have resulted. The latest attempts at follicular puncture (Palmer et al., 1987) provided 159 oocytes. Oocytes found broken (18%) were probably already broken, or at least fragile, before puncture. The 41 oocytes were fertilized only with semen treated with Ionophore A23187. Following ionophore treatment of semen, 16 ova segmented (of 113 inseminated oocytes) indicating fertilization, and another 7 showed signs of fertilization but not segmentation. Our basic protocol, when applied to 60 oocytes, yielded 11 (18%) embryos and 5 (8%) that were fertilized without segmentation. Modifications to the protocol produced no improvement in the results. Eight embryos fertilized in vitro were transferred into the ampulla of 8 recipient mares. One pregnancy resulted and foaling occurred June 14, 1990. This is the first equine pregnancy to continue to full term following in vitro fertilization.