Influence of follicular ablation during lactation on postweaning interval to estrus, ovulation rate, and endocrine function in sows.

Duroc sows farrowed second litters in March and lactated 35 +/- 2 days. At 36 hr before weaning, electrocautery of follicles greater than or equal to 3 mm in diameter (n = 8) or sham surgery (n = 5) was performed to test the hypothesis that ablation of medium-sized follicles would prolong the duration of postweaning anestrus. Number of follicles and diameters at surgery were: 1.3 +/- .6 (greater than 5 mm diameter), 26 +/- 1 (3 to 5 mm) and greater than 20 (less than 3 mm). Blood samples were collected at 15 min intervals for 3 hr beginning at -12, 0, 12, 60 and 96 hr from weaning. Interval to estrus was 3.4 +/- .2 days in seven of eight cauterized sows and 3.6 +/- .6 days for sham-surgery sows. The remaining cauterized sow was anestrus at slaughter, 40 days after weaning. Number of corpora lutea and pregnancy rate were 15.8 +/- .6 and 92%, respectively, and were similar between sham-surgery and cauterized sows. Concentration of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) at 12 hr before weaning was greater in sows subjected to electrocautery than for sham-surgery sows, but FSH values were similar at other sampling times. Concentrations of estradiol were similar at all times for both treatment groups. Luteinizing hormone (LH) was higher (P less than .05) at 60 hr in cauterized sows because of the onset of the preovulatory LH surge in one sow. We conclude that destruction of medium-sized ovarian follicles before weaning did not influence postweaning reproductive performance.