Bovine

The ultrasound-guided transvaginal aspiration of ovarian follicles is an alternative to the superovulation / embryo transfer method to obtain embryos from animals of high genetic value in vitro.

Through in vitro maturation, fertilization and culture it is possible to obtain embryos deriving from oocytes recovered from donors subjected to ovum pick-up, from ovaries recovered post-mortem (genetic rescue), or from ovaries recovered from slaughter (mass embryos). The embryos are frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen.

Superovulation allows to obtain a greater number of embryos from a donor cow. After artificial insemination, the embryos are recovered by uterine flushing and can be transferred fresh to recipient cows or frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen for a subsequent transfer.