Comparative Progesterone Assay

Analysis of systemic progesterone concentrations is routinely used for ovulation timing in bitches. Ability to accurately determine when ovulation has occurred can improve pregnancy rates, litter size, and reduce the need for multiple inseminations during an estrous cycle; it is of utmost importance when utilizing cooled shipped or frozen semen to correctly identify the appropriate time for insemination. It has anecdotally been recommended that progesterone analysis be performed at the same laboratory for a given estrous cycle to reduce confounding factors related to differences between sample handling and different analysis techniques. However, it is sometimes necessary to send samples to different laboratories during a given estrous cycle which can lead to difficulties in interpretation and determination of the fertile window ...