Progesterone and estrogen levels in Awassi ewes treated with vaginal sponges

Abstract EN

This study was conducted on10 healthy Iraqi Awassi ewes that examined by ultrasonography technique, with ages between 2 to 3 years, presented at the farm of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Al-Anbar University, Fallujah, during the period from the end of the February until the half of the March 2012.

Vaginal sponges saturated with 40mg Flurogestone acetate were inserted in the vagina of each tested animals in order to induce estrus For synchronization for 14 days, at day 13of the experiment the animals were injected i.m.

by Equine chorionic gonadotropine eCG (500 i.u.) then the sponges were removed and the animals injected i.m.

with (200 i.

u.) of Human chorionic gonadotropine (HCG).

Blood samples were collected from jugular vein with vacutainer tubes each two days until the experiment was complete.

Serum was collected after centrifugation with a speed 3000R/m for 10 minutes.

Values of estrogen and progesterone hormones in serum were estimated by Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) technique.

Values of the estrogen and progesterone in the treated animals were (1.1932 ± 0.02380), (0.9558 ± 0.3282) respectively, while the levels of the two hormones for the control group was (1.1138 ± 0.02295) for the estrogen and (0.8702 ± 0.0152) for the progesterone.

There was a significant different between the level of estrogen and progesterone hormones P < 0.05 in a treated group as a compare with the control group.

It was concluded from this study that estrus synchronization of the ewes with vaginal sponge affected the values of estrogen and progesterone hormones in the serum.