Effect of meloxicam on pregnancy rate of recipient heifers following transfer of in vitro produced embryos.

The main objective of this study was to determine if administration of meloxicam, a cyclooxygenase (COX) two inhibitor, to heifers in which embryo transfer (ET) is more difficult and requires a greater manipulation of the tract, would be beneficial. Nulliparous recipient heifers were divided in two groups: CON (n = 102), in which animals received 10 ml of saline IM (the same volume of meloxicam) and MEL (n = 105) animals that were treated with meloxicam. According to the degree in passing the catheter, recipients from both groups were classified as Grade I, easy (< 60 s), and Grade II (more than 80 s), difficult. Immediately after embryo transfer, MEL recipients received an injection of 200 mg of meloxicam (10 ml).There was no difference in the pregnancy rates on Day 35 considering animals which presented Grade I cervix independently whether the treatment was performed or not (p = 0.22). There was a statistical difference in the pregnancy rates (p < 0.01) between both groups (49.0% and 66.7% for CON and MEL, respectively) when cervical grade was not considered, on Day 35. Considering the animals that presented Grade II cervix, the pregnancy rate was higher for MEL (21.15% and 78.84%, respectively) in both examinations (p < 0.01).The authors concluded that meloxicam had a positive influence on general pregnancy rate of treated heifers in comparison to non-treated heifers. It was also observed that pregnancy rate was not influenced by meloxicam administration in Grade I heifers. Treatment increased the pregnancy rate of Grade II heifers.