Probability of pregnancy and risk factors of the Ovsynch program and its modification in dairy cows – a review

Jaśkowski, Jędrzej M.; Sobolewski, Jarosław; Herudzińska, Magdalena; Nalaskowska, Marcelina; Jaśkowski, Bartłomiej M.; Kulus, Jakub; Brüssow, Klaus-Peter

doi:10.2754/avb201887030197

Acta Veterinaria > Archive > 2018, Vol. 87 > Issue 3 > Probability of pregnancy and risk…

Acta Vet. Brno 2018, 87: 197-204

https://doi.org/10.2754/avb201887030197

Probability of pregnancy and risk factors of the Ovsynch program and its modification in dairy cows – a review

Jędrzej M. Jaśkowski¹, Jarosław Sobolewski¹, Magdalena Herudzińska¹, Marcelina Nalaskowska¹, Bartłomiej M. Jaśkowski², Jakub Kulus¹, Klaus-Peter Brüssow¹

¹Nicolaus University in Toruń, Centre for Veterinary Sciences, Toruń, Poland
²Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Reproduction and Clinic of Farm Animals, Wrocław, Poland

Received April 13, 2018
Accepted August 13, 2018

The Ovsynch programme is one of the most frequently used procedures in managing dairy cattle reproduction. There are many studies evaluating the effectiveness of the Ovsynch programme. However, few of them assess the impact of factors that can lead to a decrease in the pregnancy rate and thus, reduce the success of the Ovsynch programme. This review aims to examine the impact of both individual and environmental factors on the likelihood of pregnancy. The risk factors described include: the body condition, age, number and stage of lactation, production level, occurrence of diseases and postpartum complications, functional status of the ovaries, oestrous cycle phase, temperature, season and year, and program start-up after calving. Possible modifications of the Ovsynch programme are presented in order to increase its effectiveness and to determine the best time to start it. Additionally, attention was paid to pregnancy losses during the Ovsynch programme which ultimately decrease pregnancy rates. The impact of this many factors on the efficiency of the Ovsynch suggests the need to adjust the synchronization program each time to the individual situation of the herd.