|
In Vitro Fertilization
We will be collecting oocytes from donor cows, heifers and pregnant females that are housed at Sunshine on a weekly basis. The eggs or immature oocytes are collected from the ovaries with an ultrasound guided needle. In some cases FSH products are injected a few days prior to the procedure. Once the oocytes are aspirated, they are evaluated and washed then transported to the lab in a specially prepared media. In the IVF lab, the oocytes are allowed to mature and fertilized with the semen selected for use. The fertilized embryos are further evaluated during an incubation period of 7 days. The viable embryos that have developed can be transplanted into recipients. Our recipients are Holstein heifers. Much of the technician’s time in the lab is spent with the semen. A complex procedure is used to determine the quality of a bull’s individual collection and the amount of semen needed for oocyte fertilization. Advance planning and communication with the lab is critical regarding semen usage. Semen options : The embryo lab fees are directly related to the amount of laboratory work with the semen used (Embryos produced from reverse sorted semen are the most expensive). If you are planning to send your cow here for this procedure, please call us, we can answer your questions and discuss health tests, etc. You must have semen available to send to the lab well in advance of the procedure for best results. |
Sunshine Genetics is using IVF technology to produce more female embryos. Our ET team and other selected ET veterinarians in Wisconsin are cooperating with a laboratory of Sexing Technologies, located in Fond du Lac, Wis.
