Now excepting mobile aspiration clients!
Research
What about cIVF - conventional InVitro-Fertilization?
The original test tube baby was IVF - activated sperm and mature oocytes (eggs) were placed in a test
tube, let fertilize for a while, then placed in an incubator and waited to see if any cells started dividing.
Although that is an over simplification, equine research scientists have been trying for many years to perfect the process of activating stallion semen, co-incubating it with mare oocytes, resulting in fertilization
of the oocytes, development of an embryo and ultimately, the birth of a live foal.
Since 2024, we have performed 601 recipient mare aspirations to recover 5311 oocytes for
research into the mysteries of cIVF. Due to the multiple factors involved the the process of
capacitation of the sperm, coincubation of the eggs with the sperm, and culture of the fertilized
eggs until they are embryos, we had a lot of failures and a few successes. In addition,
we were using cooled, extended semen from other ranches usually the second day after it was
collected. Also, we were trying frozen semen from many different stallions.
From that 5311 oocytes (eggs) we collected, we made 202 IVF embryos, some of which were frozen
and some were transferred fresh into recipient mares.
The first question most mare owners ask is, “Will the ICSI procedure damage my mare's ovaries?”
That was the first concern I had when I started performing this procedure in 2006. We first learned to aspirate follicles on recipient mares, which was all we did for 2 years. First we were aspirating mature follicles through the flank approach, with a trocar and needle through a surgically prep on the donors flank. The needle was introduced into the follicle without ultrasound guidance. With that procedure, I worried about damaging the ovary with the needle, accidentally puncturing the bowel or other organ, infection or hemorrhage. After about 300 of those procedures, the only problem we had was 2 abcesses in the abdominal wall where the trocar was introduced. After modifying the procedure to inject penicillin into the trocar tract after the aspiration, no more abcesses occurred. I ultrasounded the donors the following day, I was worried about hemorrhage. There was never more hemorrhage than occurred with a hemorrhagic ovulation.
Then we began ultrasound guided aspiration of small follicles through the anterior vagina with an aspiration probe and a long needle. This approach allowed us to enter the ovary from the medial surface, which is much safer because the oviduct is located on the lateral side. A concern was that the aspiration needle would penetrate the oviduct causing blockage from scar tissue, but this cannot happen with the vaginal approach because the oviduct is on the far side of the ovary. The next concern is actual damage to the ovary from repeated penetration of the aspiration needle, both during one session (can be 3 to 5 actual needle entry points depending on the number and location of the follicles in the ovary), and the accumulated damage from repeated aspirations over time. The following article was published in 2005, investigating that question and finding no negative effects on fertility. The next article was published in 2015 with similar results.
Volume 88, Issues 3–4, September 2005, Pages 299–30
Fertility in the mare after repeated transvaginal ultrasound-guided aspirations
Available online 24 November 2015
In Press, Corrected Proof — Note to users
Evaluation of diagnostic utility, safety considerations, and effect on fertility of transvaginal ultrasound-guided ovarian biopsy in mares
Based on our personal experience since 2006, after approximately 4400 aspirations, both through the flank and then with the transvaginal procedure, we have seen no infected ovaries, no peritonitis, no excessive hemorrhage and very little pain. We have performed this procedure on race horses, barrel racing mares, hunter-jumpers, 3 day eventers, draft horse mares and Arabian show mares that have returned to competition with no negative effects.
Please contact us through the website contact page with any questions or concerns about the safety of the ICSI procedure.
Thank You,
Dr. Rick Beck
