Cows are helping doctors understand fertility and look for better ways to help women conceive children through procedures like IVF. One of the reasons cows can be so helpful in this research is that they have an estrous cycle that is similar to a woman’s menstrual cycle. They can also be infertile, and that leads to dairy farmers losing money. Solving infertility in cows, which are easier to study than humans with this issue, can help farmers, as well as people who want to start or grow their family. 

The issue of cow infertility isn’t one that’s typically being treated or talked about yet, but researchers have now started looking at the estrous cycle to spot patterns that might indicate why a cow wouldn’t be able to conceive naturally. This has led to an examination of bovine uterine fluid extracellular vesicles (UF-EVs), which have proteins required for endometrial development. If these EVs don’t work properly, or don’t communicate correctly, it can result in an inability to conceive and carry to term.

Changes in the EVs during the estrous cycle affected the growth of blastocysts, which are essentially the beginning of embryos. When the researchers manipulated the hormones within the uterine fluid they found that some phases of the estrous cycle were better for blastocyst growth, depending on the hormones present at the time. The knowledge that uterine fluid affects the success of IVF in cows can hopefully provide important clues for women who choose IVF, as well.

Right now, there’s still a lot to consider with this research. It’s a novel approach to finding a problem and not something that can be immediately translated across species. However, it’s worth learning more about how this works and the ways it might help women in the future.

Developing technology that’s more sensitive to EVs and learning how to properly isolate everything to see the true benefits and changes to different uterine fluid hormone concentrations are the next steps for researchers interested in this field. It has the potential to provide groundbreaking opportunities for women who are struggling with infertility and who haven’t had the success they’ve hoped for with IVF treatments.

If you are thinking about growing your family with the help of reproductive assistance, please contact us today. We are dedicated to drafting comprehensive surrogacy, egg, sperm and embryo donation contracts as well timely and thorough parentage orders. No matter what your legal needs may be, we are here for you. We will carefully listen to you to create a contract and a plan to help build your family that meets your wishes and needs.