Embryo production by ovum pick up from live donors

Embryo production by in vitro techniques has increased steadily over the ye ars. For cattle where this technology is more advanced and is applied more, the number of in vitro produced embryos transferred to final recipients wa s over 30,000 in 1998. An increasing proportion of in vitro produced embryo s are coming from oocytes collected from live donors by ultrasound-guided f ollicular aspiration (ovum pick up, OPU). This procedure allows the repeate d production of embryos from live donors of particular value and is a serio us alternative to superovulation. Ovum pick up is a very flexible technique . It can be performed twice a week for many weeks without side effects on t he donor's reproductive career. The donor can be in almost any physiologica l status and still be suitable for oocyte recovery. A scanner with a sector ial or convex probe and a vacuum pump are required. Collection is performed with minimal stress to the donor. An average of 8 to 10 oocytes are collec ted per OPU with an average production of 2 transferable embryos. The labor atory production of embryos from such oocytes does not differ from that of oocytes harvested at slaughter as the results after transfer to final recip ients. For other species such as buffalo and horses OPU has been attempted similarly to cattle and data will be presented and reviewed. For small rumi nants, laparotomy or laparoscopy seems the only reliable route so far to co llect oocytes from live donors. (C) 2001 by Elsevier Science Inc.