Abstract

Reproductive failure has been recognized today as one of the most serious problem affecting economy of the dairy cattle industry. Complete sterility is probably less important than sub-fertility or infertility, because sterile animals are few and easily identified in comparison with those having transient form of reproductive disorders. It is commonly observed that the individual females may be infertile due to a cause which does not involve other animals in a herd. Congenital or acquired genital abnormalities are important cause of infertility. Recent focus on the genetic basis of female reproductive tract malformations has provided insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms that govern this process crucial to the survival of species. Several genes thought to play a significant role in this developmental pathway have been identified by analysis of knock out mouse models and through identification of genetic syndromes that feature anomalies of the female reproductive tract. Therefore, future studies should continue to focus on unveiling the underlying genetic and molecular mechanisms of the development of the female reproductive tract as many of these embryologically defined genes may play a role in adult reproductive functions also. Studies are also to be conducted to develop approaches for diagnosing the defect at an early stage and minimizing the anatomical causes of reproductive disorders so that the conception rate of the herd can be improved, thus reducing economic loss to the farmers.

Keywords : Infertility, Dairy cattle, Anatomical causes