Is serum AMH a suitable biomarker to determine litter size or fetal sex in goats?: A preliminary study.

Abstract

This study was conducted in Damascus goats to i) investigate the relationship between serum AMH concentrations and litter size, ii) evaluate the change in serum AMH concentration between the 35th and 135th days of pregnancy, iii) determine whether fetal sex affected the maternal AMH level. Estrus was synchronized in 110 goats (intravaginal sponge containing medroxyprogesterone acetate for nine days, combined with d-cloprostenol and Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin at sponge removal). Blood samples were taken on the 4th and 9th days of synchronization. Goats at estrus were mated naturally. Study groups were established based on the number of fetuses on ultrasound examination as Group I (n = 18, goats carrying one fetus) and Group II (n = 18, goats carrying multiple fetuses) (Experiment I). Additionally, blood samples were taken every 20 days between the 35th and 135th days of pregnancy. After the parturition, groups were formed according to the sex of the kids; single/multiple male fetuses (GroupM, n = 8), single/multiple female fetuses (GroupF, n = 8), and fetuses of the opposite sex (GroupFM, n = 8), (Experiment II). There was no significant relationship between serum AMH concentration and litter size (P > 0.05). As pregnancy progressed maternal AMH concentration tended to decrease (P < 0.001), and fetal sex did not affect maternal AMH (P > 0.05). In conclution circulating AMH was not an ideally biomarker for determining litter size on natural breeding or predicting fetal sex in goats. Futher studies with larger sample sizes and the reduced individual variables (age and ovarian activity) are recommened.