Male fetuses negatively affect the vitality of the litter and the dam’s metabolic and physiological state in multifetal pregnant ewe

Abstract

In sheep, ~30% of fetuses do not survive till parturition, and 17.7% of the multifetal pregnancies experience partial litter loss (PLL). In humans, multifetal pregnancies are associated with a higher risk of perinatal mortality. Therefore, the objectives were to examine the association between partial litter loss, fetal sex, dam’s metabolic and physiological state, and pregnancy outcome in multifetal pregnant ewes. The study includes two parts. The first was a retrospective study, in which we analyzed data of 675 lambings and examined the PLL incidence according to male ratio (MR) for all litter sizes (range 2–6). Lambings were categorized as having a low male ratio (LMR; <50% males) or a high male ratio (LMR; >50% males). In the second part, we monitored 24 ewes from 80 to 138 days in pregnancy every 10 days, and then daily until lambing, by ultrasound scanning for maternal heart rate (HR), and Doppler ultrasound for litter vitality. Blood samples were taken from dams on the days of scanning. Male ratio strongly affected PLL, where the general survival rate (for all lambings) was reduced from 90% in LMR lambings to 85% in HMR lambings. The odds ratio for PLL in HMR vs. LMR litters was 1.82. Birth body weight and the survival rate of female was higher in LMR than HMR lambings, with no differences for male lambs in both parameters. In the second part, dams’ HR during the last trimester was 9.4% higher in LMR than in HMR pregnancies, with no differences in fetuses’ HR. The plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were not significantly different between groups, but plasma β-hydroxybutyrate and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations were, respectively, 31% and 20% lower in HMR vs. LMR ewes. In conclusion, male fetuses negatively affect pregnancy outcomes and influence dams’ metabolic and physiological state in sheep.