Efficacy of intrauterine infusion of plasma for treatment of infertility and endometritis in mares
Adams, G.P.; Ginther, O.J.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 194(3): 372-378
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-1488 PMID: 2917906 Document Number: 347341
We evaluated the efficacy of intrauterine plasma infusion in mares as a treatment for infertility caused by endometritis and distinguished the effects of intrauterine infusion of plasma vs saline solution. forty-three subfertile mares were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: untreated controls (n = 14), those treated by saline infusion (n = 14), and those treated by plasma infusion (n = 15). Reproductive status was assessed daily by transrectaly ultrasonography. Uterine aspirates and biopsy specimens were obtained 8 days after ovulation for cytologic and histologic evaluation, and mares were treated on days 12 to 16. Uterine aspirates and biopsy specimens were obtained again on day 8 of the next estrous cycle, and the mares were bred at the subsequent estrus. A postovulation intrauterine infusion of either plasma or saline solution was administered to mares in their respective treatment groups. Biopsy specimens were scored from 1 (no indications of inflammation) to 6 (severe inflammation). The pregnancy rate was lower (P < 0.005) for mares with scores 5 and 6 (0/5) than for those with scores 1 to 4 (17/35). There was no significant effect of treatment nor a treatment to biopsy score interaction on pregnancy rate; however, the pregnancy rate for mares treated with plasma or saline solution (9/27) tended to be lower than for the control (untreated) mares (8/13). There was no change in mean biopsy score between specimens obtained before treatment and those obtained after treatment for the control group and the group treated with saline solution; however, there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in scores in the group treated with plasma. Averaged over all groups, the uterine aspirates of mares that became pregnant had more (P < 0.01) healthy epithelial cells and fewer (P < 0.01) neutrophils than mares that did not become pregnant.