EMBRYO TRANSFER

I am AETA certified and approved to export embryos to Europe.

  IETS number 1592

European Union approved embryo transfer business company number 06VA126

You have a really good cow and you want more offspring than what nature provides. Embryo transfer is the primary method of increasing the number of calves from this cow. I usually figure 4 to 5 viable embryos per flush with a range of 0 to 50.

 I will flush a cow as often as every 26 days and will start on a heifer (depending on size and maturity) as young as 10 months of age.

Dr. Comyn is a member of the American Embryo Transfer Association (AETA)  and International Embryo Transfer Society. Dr Comyn is AETA certified.

AETA Certification is an important statement of  quality control. 

AETA Certification 

To become AETA Certified, a veterianarian must submit to AETA flush records to prove experience and demonstrate necessary equipment, equipment maintainence; pass a written exam and log at least 12 hours of continuing education in AETA approved meetings per year.  Embryos recovered, processed and transferred by an AETA certified Practitioner will yield less variable results due to the experience the AETA certified doctor must have in embryo transfer. Practitioner AETA Certification is necessary for embryos to be exported to Japan, Canada, the EU and South American countries.

Dr. Comyn is also certified for EU export which is an additional step from AETA certification. The EU certification requires biannual USDA inspections of the flush facility.

How is Embryo Transfer done?

Embryo production in the donor dam is facilitated by the use of progesterone implants and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). The cow comes in heat at the end of the FSH injection protocol at which point she is bred  naturally or artificially. The embryos are harvested seven days later via uterine lavage.

The recovered embryos are either implanted in recipient cows that are seven days post estrus or frozen for implantation at a later date.

The expected embryo production of a cow is about 5 viable per flush with a range of zero to sixty or eighty. In general a cow that produces well will continue to produce well; a poor producer will remain a poor producer but one never knows unless one tries. I feel three or four flushes are necessary before a cow can be called a poor producer. The pregnancy rate for transferred embryos is about 55-65% for grade one and two embryos.

Dr. Patrick Comyn

Virginia Herd Health Management Service

PO Box 555, Madison VA. 22727

540-948-5238 office - 540-948-3564 fax - 540-829-3625 mobile