Abstract:
Pregnancy diagnosis is an essential part of fertility management. Early detection of pregnancy allows
early recognition and treatment of problems. The aim of this manuscript is to overview the methods of
pregnancy diagnosis in cow and to highlight the advantages of pregnancy diagnosis in relation to fertility
management. Methods of pregnancy diagnosis in cow can be classified into direct and indirect methods.
Direct methods of pregnancy diagnosis include transrectal palpation and ultrasonography. Indirect methods
for early pregnancy diagnosis include measurement of endocrine hormones and pregnancy specific proteins.
Visual method is far from perfect. Detecting animals that have been inseminated returning to heat is the most
cost-effective method of early detection of non-pregnancy. However, it cannot be relied on as a method of
pregnancy detection as a high proportion of cattle (often>30%) which are not seen in heat are actually empty.
Transrectal palpation and ultrasonography continue to be the methods of choice for an accurate and early
pregnancy diagnosis. Transrectal palpation remains the method of choice for early pregnancy diagnosis.
Ultrasound examination is better for aging and sexing the embryo. An accurate, early diagnosis of pregnancy
is essential to a successful breeding program. In both beef and dairy cattle, pregnancy diagnosis is an important
tool to measure the success of a reproductive management, to allow for early detection of problems and to
achieve resynchronization of non-pregnant cows. Generally Pregnancy diagnosis is an important part of good
management and helps to maximize reproductive performance. Therefore, the veterinarians and animal
production workers should develop an awareness creation about the importance of early pregnancy diagnosis
for the farmers and the government should build national laboratories and research centers to provide
pregnancy testing for the farmers as a valuable tool for fertility management.
