Plasma progesterone profiles in relation to postpartum ovarian activity in the swamp buffalo

Ovarian activity in 38 suckled swamp buffaoes (Bubalus bubalis) was monitored by rectal palpation, oestrus detection and plasma progesterone radio-immunoassay from calving to approximately 150 days postpartum. Three categories of ovarian activity were diagnosed clinically : A corpus luteum (CL) with detected oestrus (21%), a CL with nondetected oestrus (42%) and no CL with non-detected oestrus or anestrus (37%). Plasma progesterone levels confirmed the clinical diagnosis of the presence or absence of a palpable CL except that progesterone levels were low (<0.2ng/ml) when a CL was palpable in 67% of the cows between Day 30 and 60 postpartum. During the oestrous cycle, plasma progesterone levels were low (0.24±0.12ng/ml) during oestrus (Day 0), rose to detectable levels (0.42±0.21ng/ml) by Day 6, reached a peak concentration (1.51±0.35ng/ml) on Day 15 and then declined to basal levels (0.2ng/ml) on Day 22. A synthetic prostaglandin F₂α analog induced oestrus and ovulation in cycling buffaloes but neither a synthetic gonadotropin releasing hormone nor a progesterone releasing intravaginal device was effective in initiating ovarian activity in anestrous buffaloes.

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