In Vitro Fertilization
IVF is the process in which the fertilization of oocytes and the initial embryonic development occur in the laboratory.
IVF is one of the great tools of today to optimize the propagation of genetics of superior animals and has stood out year after year at the forefront of the most advanced techniques effective ways to increase the productivity and financial return of dairy and beef farms.
Advantages of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
- Intensifies the use of females with high genetic merit
- Enables the widespread use of sexed semen, overcoming limitations related to low fertility and low pregnancy rates
- Optimizes the use of semen from renowned bulls, as a single dose of semen can result in the generation of dozens of pregnancies and births
- Enables the creation of animals with defined crossbreeding/blood grade, facilitating replacement with the desired blood grade and sex, such as projects for the Girolando and Guzolando breeds
- Enables continued exploration of the genetics of aged and pre-pubescent animals
- Facilitates the production of high genetic sires in beef herds
- For dairy herds, improves traits such as milk production, longevity and hardiness
- For beef cattle herds, it improves traits such as weight gain, yield and carcass finish
How IVF is performed
The oocytes are collected from elite females and are taken to the laboratory where they are subjected to the fertilization process. The selected semen is deposited and incubated with the oocytes. After fertilization, embryonic development begins. All these steps are carried out in the laboratory, that is, in vitro. Subsequently, the embryos will be taken to the field where, through the embryo transfer (ET) process, they will be deposited in the uterus of recipient females.
Fortgen has been providing the IVF service for cattle for years and will soon offer IVF for sheep and goats.
