Abstract No: O.

58-02

LACTATIONAL OVULATIONS ARE A CAUSATIVE FACTOR IN LONG WEANING-TO-OESTRUS INTERVALS

V Auvigne1, J Avon2, A Laval2, E Salle3

1
Ekipaj, ST GREGOIRE, France
2
ENVN, NANTES, France
3
CEVA Santé Animale, LIBOURNE CEDEX, France

Introduction
The physiology in the sow is characterised by an inhibition
of both the follicular cycle and oestrus behaviour during
lactation. However cases of ‘lactational ovulation’ have
been observed during experimental protocols using
particular stimuli such as intermittent suckling or the
introduction of a boar (1). The objectives of our study were
to determine whether lactational ovulation is a cause of an
increased weaning-to-oestrus interval (WOI) in the field.
The protocol was based on the following hypotheses:
(a) Lactational ovulation is followed by a normal oestral
cycle including a luteal phase of 16 days. (b) This oestral
cycle is not disrupted by weaning. The first oestrus after
weaning is therefore delayed. (c) During a luteal phase, the
Results
Sixty-six sows out of 492 (13%) had a long WOI. In one
farm (farm G), the proportion of ‘long WOI’ animals was
higher (23%) than on other farms (8%). In this farm, there
was a relation between parity and a long WOI (Fischer,
p<0.0001), not observed in the other farms. The relation
between WOI and progesterone levels was highly
significant (Table 1, Chi2 p<0.0001). The proportion of
progesterone positive sows among the ‘long WOI’ was
lower in farm G (15%) than in the other farms (40%)
(Figure 1). The incidence of confirmed lactational
ovulations was 3.3% for the 492 sows.
60%
50% Progesterone negative

% Long WOI
presence of a corpora lutea can be detected by a 40% Progesterone positive
progesterone assay, from 1 to 16 days post-ovulation. Thus 30%
a progesterone assay at weaning allow detecting lactational 20%

ovulations that take place between 16 and 1 days prior to 10%

weaning. A sow can therefore be considered as having had 0%

Primiparous Multiparous Primiparous Multiparous
a lactational ovulation if her WOI is 7 to 22 days and if
Farm G Other Farms
corpora lutea can be detected at weaning by measuring the
progesterone level. Figure 1 Relation between parity and long WOI

Materials and Methods
The study was carried out in seven breeding farms where
delayed oestrus was observed after weaning. The farms
were selected among those of 2 cooperatives. In this study,
the weaning-to-first-insemination is considered identical to
the WOI. Selected farms were to refrain from hormonal
treatment at weaning, note all dates of insemination, and
have had a minimum of 7% WOI of 7 to 22 days during 4
semesters and/or an abnormally high percentage of
irregular returns to oestrus.
A blood sample was taken at weaning from all sows of 2 to
4 batches. The samples were centrifuged within the hour
and the plasma was frozen. A total of 540 sows were
sampled and 492 were included in the study (20 to 181
sows per farm). Exclusion criteria were: a WOI other than
4 to 22 days, hormonal treatment within 7 days post
weaning or an insufficient sample. Weaning was carried
out mainly at week 4 (58%) or week 3 (37%) of lactation.
Sows with a WOI of 7 to 22 days were classified as having
a ‘long WOI’. For each ‘long WOI’ sow, a ‘normal WOI’
control was chosen among the sows of the same batch and
litter rank, but with a WOI of 4 to 6 days. Pregnancy
diagnosis was carried out by US four weeks after
insemination. Plasma samples from ‘long WOI’ and
‘normal WOI’ sows were investigated at the laboratory of
the INRA in Nouzilly, France. The analysis was a
quantitative radio-immuno assay, with a threshold of 2.3
ng/ml.
Table 1 Relation between WOI and progesterone levels
Progesterone
Negative Positive
Long 50 16 66
76% 24%
WOI
Normal 66 0 66
100% 0%
Discussion
The study proved the existence of lactational ovulation on
the field. The absence of sows with positive progesterone
levels among the group of sows with a normal WOI
confirms the specificity of the test. A differential diagnosis
should be carried out with other causes of a long WOI, in
particular the second-litter syndrome. The comparison of
the incidence of a long WOI between primiparous and
multiparous sows allowed this differential diagnosis. In the
six farms where there was no second-litter syndrome,
lactational ovulations were the cause of 40% of long WOI.
This is probably a low figure, as progesterone levels were
measured only at weaning, which does not allow to detect
ovulations that occurred over than 16 days prior to
weaning. These result are to be put into relation with the
efficacy of oestrus synchronisation using synthetic
prostaglandin (Alfabedyl®) at weaning (2).
References
1. MOTA, D. et al. (2002), Anim. Repr. Sci., 72, 115-124
2. GAMBADE, P. et al. (2005), Lettre porcine 17(1), 5-6

274 Proceedings of the 19th IPVS Congress, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2006 · Volume 1