Gestation rate of Santa Inês females submitted to transcervical insemination with fresh semen associated or not to the epidural anesthesia

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of epidural anesthesia associated to the technique of transcervical artificial insemination using fresh semen, on subsequent fertility of heat synchronized female sheep. Thirty multiparous and ovulocyclic Santa Ines ewes were randomly divided into three groups: G1 (12 females inseminated via transcervical without previous epidural anesthesia), G2 (12 females inseminated via transcervical with previous epidural anesthesia with 2% lidocaine with vasoconstrictor) and G3 (six females mated by the male). All animals received hormonal treatment for estrous induction and synchronization. There was no difference (p>0.05) between the average time expended to carry the procedures of transcervical artificial insemination in female sheep, being 9.9 ± 5.45 and 9.1 ± 1.67 minutes for G1 and G2, respectively. Approximately 75.0% and 58.3% of the inseminations were intrauterine or deep cervical for the G1 and G2 groups, respectively. Gestation rates of 75% and 83,3% for the groups G1 and G2 were observed, respectively (p>0.05). Transcervical artificial insemination technique using fresh semen presents good gestation rates but the previous use of epidural anesthesia with 2% lidocaine do not amplify cervical penetration and, as consequence, the gestation rate.