ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Reproduction - Theriogenology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1667834
This article is part of the Research TopicTIAR 2025: Advances in Animal ReproductionView all articles
Optimizing artificial insemination in goats: semen deposition site and vaginal mucus characteristics as predictive biomarkers
Provisionally accepted
- 1Southern Branch, Taiwan Livestock Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Pingtung, Taiwan
- 2Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- 3Department of Animal Science, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
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Artificial insemination (AI) is a critical tool for genetic improvement and fertility management in goats. This study examined the effects of semen deposition site (uterine body, cervix, vagina) and vaginal mucus type (cloudy, turbid, clear) on pregnancy rate, kidding rate, and litter size in 300 CIDR-synchronized Alpine does in southern Taiwan. Semen deposited in the uterine body combined with cloudy mucus yielded the highest pregnancy rate (55.9%), while vaginal deposition with clear mucus resulted in the lowest (30.7%). Two-way ANOVA showed significant main effects and interactions for pregnancy rate and litter size (P < 0.05), but no significant effect on kidding rate. Pregnant does exhibited lower vaginal mucus electrical conductivity, higher pH, and elevated temperature compared to nonpregnant does, suggesting these parameters as potential biomarkers for estrus detection. Findings highlight the importance of precise semen placement and optimal mucus condition for improving AI protocols in goats.
Keywords: artificial insemination, biomarkers, Fertility, Alpine goats, Semen deposition site, Vaginal mucus
Received: 17 Jul 2025; Accepted: 23 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kang, Tseng, Lin, Chen, Lai and Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ting-Chieh Kang, ccuasktc@gmail.com
Perng-Chih Shen, pcshen@mail.npust.edu.tw
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