Meeting Abstract
Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) concentrations have been shown to predict the ovarian response to exogenous gonadotropin stimulation for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) in women and production animals. Our objective was to determine if the same holds true for cheetahs. In anticipation of planned artificial inseminations (AI), six cheetahs underwent ovarian stimulation with a standard eCG/LH protocol. Within one month before eCG, a blood sample was collected for serum AMH determination. A second blood sample was collected approximately 42 hours post LH and before laparoscopic intra-oviductal AI, when the total number of corpora lutea (CL) were enumerated. Pre-eCG AMH concentrations were 1.00-3.09 ng/mL, and the number of CL ranged from one to 17. Females appeared to segregate into high and low AMH groups (N = 3 each), defined by AMH greater than 2.00 ng/mL (range 2.14-3.09 ng/mL) or substantially less than 2.00 ng/mL (range 1.00-1.15 ng/mL). The number of CL (mean ± STD) for the high AMH group was 10.6 ± 6.0, and for the low AMH group was 3.7 ± 3.1. The pre- and post-gonadotropin AMH concentrations were significantly correlated (r2 = 0.66, p = 0.03), and females with a high pre-AMH concentration uniformly showed a decline in AMH post-eCG/LH. Females with a low pre-AMH concentration did not have consistent changes in AMH following eCG/LH. While additional females are being recruited to this study, the results from the initial cohort suggest AMH is likely to be a good predictor of individual responsiveness to ovarian stimulation in preparation for ARTs in cheetahs.
