Clinical and endocrinological investigations on ovarian function in cows with fertility problems

: The investigations were carried out in herds of high yielding cows (n = 265) that showed fertility problems. The first interest was to find out whether clinical findings could be confirmed by progesterone analyses. It was found that the clinical defined diagnoses could be confirmed by 3 progesterone determinations in blood plasma taken in a 7 days interval. In that way diagnoses and therapeutic measures were better to be taken and controlled. From 16 cows out of the controlled herds ovarian cystic disorders have been defined. After treatment with one GnRH injection the animals showed FSH and LH release as suggested but the FSH release seemed to be different in cows, that showed progesterone levels less than 1 ng at the moment of treatment. These investigations show that clinical findings can better by understood when combined with progesterone determination. By that way cystic disease in cows can be determined. Cows who show clinical disorders of this kind seem to have problems in their hypothalamo-hypophyseal regulations.