Stateline Veterinary Service IVF Information Packet FAQs & Eligibility documents Your donor will not be eligible for collection without the following documents: Signed Donor Info/Sire Choice Form Signed Release, Authorization and Consent Form If you have any questions, Please contact us at 262-749-1441 or email us at svsrepro@yahoo.com
SVS Repro Frequently Asked Questions Stateline Veterinary Service has partnered with Boviteq USA - located in Monona, Wi - to provide a mobile IVF service in Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. What is bovine IVF? In-Vitro Fertilization refers to the process of collecting unfertilized oocytes from a donor cow, fertilizing those oocytes with semen in a controlled environment and then maturing for a week in specialized media. The process results in embryos that are either implanted fresh or frozen for later transfer or sale. Why has bovine IVF recently become so popular in the cattle industry? IVF technology has been available in human medicine for many years. Previously cost, production, and availability have all been limiting factors of bovine IVF. Recent technological advances have made the process much more efficient and successful therefore making the use of IVF in your cattle herd an affordable option. What are the risks to the donor? There is very little risk to the donor associated with IVF procedures. As with any medical procedure, there are potential risks including bleeding, scarring, and infection. These risks are rarely seen, even with accelerated collection programs. What are the rewards? IVF possesses some unique advantages over conventional flushing. Donor animals are able to be collected as frequently as every 2 weeks. Donors can be collected during pregnancy animals 30 to 100 days pregnant can still produce oocytes for collection without increased risk of pregnancy loss. Pre-sexed or reverse sorted semen can be successfully used to fertilize oocytes with little difference in embryo production rates. The use of presexed semen in conventional flushing is traditionally discouraged due to high rates of unfertilized oocytes. Fewer straws of semen are typically used to fertilize IVF derived embryos. Increased collection frequency, no need to keep cows open to produce embryos, more efficient use of rare or expensive semen, & the ability to reverse sort conventional semen are considered the main benefits of using IVF. What is the main goal of Boviteq? Our philosophy is to promote quality, we need to apply everything we can to keep systems at the highest standards, creating high quality embryos to achieve high pregnancy rates. Dr. Patrick Blondin, Ph.D., serves as Boviteq s director of Embryo Operations and Semex s director of Research and Development What can I expect for embryo production?
Average IVF embryo production rates tend to run similar to the average rates achieved by conventional flushing. On average, producers can expect 5-6 embryos from a collection. Some donors are consistently very prolific while others are less productive or consistent. **In 2016, SVS Repro averaged 8.3 embryos per collection** How should I choose a donor? An IVF donor is typically chosen because she possesses certain desirable traits which may make her offspring more valuable. The donor should be in good reproductive health and free from stress or disease which may inhibit embryo development. In order to register any offspring, your donor may need certain blood tests. Please check with your breed association for special requirements. What are my donor options? If you have multiple donors, the lab provides a pooling option to reduce mating costs. See attached memo for more information. What are my sire options? Prior to collection, sire choices are submitted to the clinic. You have the option to use conventional semen, presexed, or reverse sort previously frozen conventional semen (to isolate male or female sperm). You may provide semen from your nitrogen tank or ask that Boviteq orders it directly. It is preferred that Boviteq orders the semen directly to reduce the chance of mishandling, special arrangements can be made to transport semen to the lab that may not be readily available. Is previous sire performance available? Some bulls work very well in IVF and others just don t! Boviteq compiles data on bull performance. IT IS IMPORTANT TO SUBMIT SIRE CHOICES ON TIME! Boviteq will provide feedback on bull performance prior to OPU if your sire choice is submitted the Wednesday before DFR. This will provide adequate time to change sires if there is a concern. What is required before collection day? Two weeks prior to collection, the producer will need to insert a CIDR and give an injection of GnRH to the donor animal. Six days prior to collection, the veterinary team will come to your farm and perform a reproductive exam, a DFR (dominant follicle reduction), insert a new CIDR, and drop off the FSH schedule. At this visit, adequate restraint is needed for the donor this can range from a stanchion to a squeeze chute, depending on the docility of the donor. Following this visit, a series of FSH injections are given at specific times. It is very important to follow the timing outlined on the FSH schedule, please review timing and notify us if you may have any scheduling conflicts. Recipient synchronization will be needed prior to collection day. Recipient heat detection will be needed on collection day and the day following collection.
What is a DFR and why is it important? DFR stands for Dominant Follicle Reduction. This is the process of manually reducing the follicles on the ovary to initiate the new follicular wave eliminating the risk of follicular dominance and encouraging a more uniform stimulation. It is performed much like an actual collection (see below) What is required on collection day (OPU day)? OPU (oocyte pick-up) is a term used for the collection process. Collecting multiple donors at one location increases efficiency and reduces the cost per donor. You may be required to haul your donor to a central hosting location. If we are collecting on your farm, we will need access to reliable power. The mobile facility has a climate controlled collection area and attached laboratory for oocyte processing. You will not need any special facility for OPU day. How are the oocytes collected? On OPU day, the oocytes are collected by the veterinarian in a process known as trans-vaginal oocyte recovery. After cleaning the donor, a needle guide containing an ultrasound probe is placed vaginally. The follicles on the ovary are located and the needle is inserted into the guide. The needle is attached to a complex vacuum system which aspirates the fluid from the follicles and collects it into a vial. This fluid contains the oocytes. The embryologist then filters this fluid and transfers it into a search dish to locate the oocytes under a microscope. The oocytes are washed and placed into the incubator in tubes containing specialized media. Special attention is given to ensure there is very little temperature fluctuation, which may stress the oocytes. The incubator maintains that constant temperature while our courier transports the oocytes to Boviteq in Monona, Wi. Will all of the oocytes produce viable embryos? Generally, 70% of the oocytes will fertilize and cleave into embryos. Not all of the cleaved embryos, however, will produce viable embryos. Predicting that 50% of the oocytes sent to the lab will develop into transferrable embryos is a general rule of thumb. Can I monitor the progress at the lab? Contact Boviteq at 608-210-3180 to set up access to your client portal account. Here you can monitor embryo cleavage, semen inventory, and embryo inventory. How do I know if I have good quality recips? We will schedule a time for a veterinarian to check your recips 6-7 days following collection. What are my embryo options? Not all of the transferrable embryos produced will be freezable. Typically only 45-50% of IVF derived embryos will be eligible for freezing. You may opt to freeze these embryos at the lab and send the remaining embryos back to be implanted fresh. We will contact you one week following OPU collection to determine your embryo destiny.
What can I expect for conception rates? IVF derived embryos perform similarly to conventional embryos. The quality of the embryo and the quality of the recip both play a major role in pregnancy rates. A 50-60% conception rate can typically be expected with both fresh and frozen IVF derived embryos. Who handles the billing? You will receive a bill from Stateline Veterinary Service for DFR, Collection, Recipient Evaluation, Mobile Lab Fees, & Fresh Embryo Transfers. You will receive a bill from Boviteq USA for all fertilization costs. Please see attached pricing sheets. To get started, contact us at 262-749-1441 or email svsrepro@yahoo.com SVS Repro Standard Collection Pricing DFR + Farm Call - The DFR will occur on your farm 6 days prior to OPU collection OPU Collection: - Not including FSH $60/donor $371/donor FSH: - pricing varies, call for current pricing Mobile Lab Prep: Incubator rental fee for oocytes and fresh embryos - shipment of fresh embryos back is complementary $50/donor haul in $150 on farm $20/donor Boviteq Mating Fees: - See Next Page Recip Checks Hourly Fertility Exam + farm call (7 Days post collection) - This is an important step for planning embryo destiny (fresh transfer into quality recips vs freezing) Fresh Embryo Transfer Straw Incubator rental fee + Farm Call: - for on farm fresh transfer Embryo freezing by SVS $75/embryo $10/donor or group $55/embryo
Important information from Boviteq From Dr. Shantille Kruse IVF Cycle - A cycle can include up to 25 oocytes from up to three donors bred to the same bull IVF Cycle With Less Than Two Viable Embryos Produced - Discount is applicable only once per donor Semen Costs - Client to provide semen at their own cost - Conventional semen requires a minimum of one dose/cycle - Pre-sexed semen requires a minimum of two doses/cycle Incubator rental fee for oocytes and fresh embryos (two way trip) *this cost is shared between all producers on OPU day Dry shipper rental fee for frozen embryos (two way trip) Fresh embryo packaging fee Embryo freezing $375/mating $200/mating Varies by bull $125/shipment $125/shipment $150/mating $55/embryo Reverse Sort Effective April 1, 2016, reverse sort charges will be applied as follows: Reverse Sort 1 bull to 1 donor $500 per donor or pooled group Reverse Sort 1 bull to 2+ donors $300 per donor or pooled group Reverse Sort bull fails $150 Please note these fees are in addition to the IVF Cycle fee. If a bull fails, the client will be charged $150 + the IVF cycle fee. If a bull fail occurs, the backup bull will be used this bull cannot be reverse sorted. Boviteq will not reimburse any semen costs. Oocytes that are pooled are eligible for the above pricing as well, and are treated as one donor. If you would like to used presexed semen, please identify that on the donor info sheet. To allow for the best customer service possible, please review the points below: Scheduling: Reverse sort slots are limited, so scheduling in advance is necessary Semen: Boviteq would prefer to order semen directly for the A.I. centers to minimize handling and ensure good quality semen upon thawing. A minimum of 2 straws per donor is required. Keep in mind that many beef bulls will require an increased shipping time, plan ahead. Donor Info/Mating Sheets: It is critical that mating sheets are turned in on time and back up bulls are listed and in inventory at Boviteq. Please make sure the desired gender is clearly idientified ( X = female Y = Male). Timely communication is very important. Backup Bulls: The backup bull listed cannot be reverse sorted because each semen preparation takes in excess of an hour. If a bull fails, starting on a new preparation for the same oocytes compromises the timing of fertilization for all oocytes that follow. The backup bull may be presexed, if available. If a backup bull is not identified, Boviteq wil use the conventional semen of the bull that was requested to be sorted.
Pooling Pooling was put in place to accommodate donors that yield a low number of oocytes and to make IVF services more financially available. Up to 3 donors owned by the same client are eligible for pooling. Charges are as follows: Pooled IVF Cycle of 30 or fewer oocytes Pooled IVF Cycle of 31-45 oocytes Pooled IVF Cycle of 46-60 oocytes $450 per cycle Additional $100 per cycle Additional $200 per cycle Please be aware that the fee for exceeding 30 oocytes will appear on your bill as an additional line item. As an example, if you send in a pool of 40 oocytes, your bill will read: In Vitro Fertilization Cycle $450 In Vitro Fertilization Cycle $100 Also, please note the lab cannot pool more than 60 oocytes, nor can they pool the oocytes from more than 3 donors. If more than 60 oocytes are sent, or request to pool more than 3 donors, the lab will divide the oocytes into two groups and charge 2 IVF cycle fees. *There will be no additional fees charged for a single (non-pooled) donor that makes over 30 oocytes. Export Eligibility Boviteq is accredited to create embryos eligible for export to the EU and Canada. This includes the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemborg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Canada. For each donor collected, an OOCYTE DONOR HEALTH STATUS FORM must be completed and the oocytes must be shipped under seal. Oocytes must be fertilized with EU-approved semen. Fees associated with export are as follows: Trypsin Wash Health Certificate Preparation $50/cycle $150/hour* *The typical order takes 2 hours to complete. However, there are some exceptions on very large orders. The lab requests that each client is quoted on a per donor basis.