Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Apr 24;8(5):62.
doi: 10.3390/ani8050062.

Update on Multiple Ovulations in Dairy Cattle

Kira Macmillan  1 , John P Kastelic  2 , Marcos G Colazo  3
Affiliations
Review

Update on Multiple Ovulations in Dairy Cattle

Kira Macmillan et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

This review updates the causal mechanisms and risk factors for multiple ovulations (MOV) in cattle. Clearly, MOV can lead to twin pregnancies, which negatively affects the health, production, and reproduction of cows. Therefore, a better understanding of the factors causing MOV may help to reduce twinning. Multiple ovulations occur after two or more follicles deviate and achieve codominance. The MOV rate is influenced by a complex network of hormones. For example, MOV is more common during periods of low progesterone (P4), that is, in anovulatory cattle or when luteolysis coincides with the selection of the future ovulatory follicle. There is also strong evidence for the luteinizing hormone (LH) being the primary factor leading to codominance, as high P4 concentrations suppress the transient LH surges and can reduce the ovulation rate in cattle or even inhibit deviation. Rates of MOV are increased in older and higher-producing dairy cows. Increased milk production and dry matter intake (DMI) increases hormone clearance, including P4; however, the association between milk yield and MOV has not been consistent. Additional risk factors for MOV include ovarian cysts, diet, season, and genetics.

Keywords: codominance; cow; double ovulations; follicle deviation; ovary; twinning rate.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) The incidence of multiple ovulations (MOV) depending on the ovulation number following anestrus and (b) the incidence of codominance or MOV depending on the follicular wave number within an estrous cycle. * difference within a reference (p < 0.05); † tendency for a difference within a reference (0.05 < p < 0.10); ‡ no statistical comparison.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Silva del Río N., Kirkpatrick B.W., Fricke P.M. Observed frequency of monozygotic twinning in Holstein dairy cattle. Theriogenology. 2006;66:1292–1299. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2006.04.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andreu-Vázquez C., Garcia-Ispierto I., Ganau S., Fricke P.M., López-Gatius F. Effects of twinning on the subsequent reproductive performance and productive lifespan of high-producing dairy cows. Theriogenology. 2012;78:2061–2070. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2012.07.027. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wiltbank M.C., Fricke P.M., Sangsritavong S., Sartori R., Ginther O.J. Mechanisms that prevent and produce double ovulations in dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 2000;83:2998–3007. doi: 10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(00)75201-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ginther O.J. The theory of follicle selection in cattle. Domest. Anim. Endocrinol. 2016;57:85–99. doi: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2016.06.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ginther O.J., Wiltbank M.C., Fricke P.M., Gibbons J.R., Kot K. Selection of the dominant follicle in cattle. Biol. Reprod. 1996;55:1187–1194. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod55.6.1187. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources