Maternal-Fetal Blood Flow and Progesterone Concentration in Ewes Sheared at Mid or Late-Pregnancy

These studies aimed to determine if shearing ewes at the second or last third of gestation modify the uterine and placentome blood flow, placentome size, and maternal progesterone concentration. Pregnant ewes were assigned to four groups of 12 ewes each according to the gestation period: mid-pregnancy sheared (on day 90 of pregnancy) or unshorn group; and late-pregnancy sheared group (on day 121 of pregnancy) or unshorn group. In both experimental periods, using spectral Doppler ultrasonography, placentomes and uterine artery blood flow and placentome size were evaluated 14 days before and 6 days after shearing. An additional measurement was performed 26 days after shearing in mid-pregnant ewes. Serum progesterone concentration was measured before shearing 4, 24, 72 h, and 22 days after shearing. The uterine artery's end-diastolic velocity (EDV) tended to be greater in the sheared than in the non-sheared ewes (p = 0.1). Peak systolic velocity (PSV) and EDV of placentome increased (p = 0.05 and p = 0.008, respectively) on day 26, accompanied by an increase in placentome area (p = 0.035) in mid-pregnant ewes. In late-pregnant ewes, uterine artery and placentome blood flow and size did not vary. Progesterone concentration varied with time but was not affected by shearing. In conclusion, shearing triggered an increase in placentome size and some changes in blood flow only when ewes were sheared during the second third of their pregnancy. Shearing ewes either the second or last third of gestation did not affect uterine artery blood flow and progesterone secretion.