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Relationship between Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and the ovulatory response measured in three-month old ewe lambs with their reproductive efficiency in adulthood


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http://dx.doi.org/10.12706/itea.2016.024

Authors: B. Lahoz, J.L. Alabart, J. Folch
Issue: 112-4 (392-404)
Topic: Animal Production
Keywords: Müllerian-inhibiting substance, fertility, first lambing, ovulation, precocity, prolificacy
Summary:

In sheep, delays in age at first lambing give rise to unproductive periods and a decrease on productive life, resulting in significant economic losses. A relationship between the plasma Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentration and the ovulatory response with early fertility has been found in three-month old ewe lambs of Rasa Aragonesa breed stimulated with eCG. The aim of this study was to relate both parameters with the subsequent reproductive performance of those ewe lambs (n=73) with HIGH (≥97 pg/ml) or LOW (<97 pg/ml) AMH. With this purpose, mating and lambing were recorded until they aged 3.5 years. Both the presence of corpora lutea and the AMH concentration were negatively correlated with age at first lambing (both: r = -0.24, P < 0.05), so the HIGH AMH group was 82 days younger at first lambing than the LOW AMH group (P < 0.01). In addition, the HIGH AMH group presented 0.17 extra lambings and 0.38 extra lambs per ewe and year (P < 0.01 for both). In conclusion, in the conditions of our study, the plasma AMH concentration in eCG-stimulated prepubertal ewe lambs, besides being related with age at first lambing, it seems to be positively correlated with the number of lambings, fertility and the number of lambs produced in adulthood. This suggests its utility as a potential criterion for early selection of the most reproductively efficient ewe lambs, although it is still necessary to confirm its suitability in different productive conditions.

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