The Practitioner's use of a rapid progesterone assay in the dairy cow

Abstract

Milk progesterone analysis has been available on a commercial basis for dairy producers since the early 1970’s. The methods employed at that time were based on Radioimmunoassay (RIA) techniques. Time required for results using this technique was relatively long which resulted in very little acceptance of the procedure for monitoring reproductive status in cattle. Recently, Enzymeimmunoassay (EIA) techniques have been developed for use with milk and plasma. These tests have shown good specificity and a high correlation with RIA techniques. The advantages of the EIA over current RIA techniques include ease of performing the test, relatively inexpensive equipment required, and rapid results. An EIA for progesterone in milk and plasma (a) has been available in our laboratory since late 1984 and is being used for clinical management of reproduction cases in dairy operations currently participating in our dairy reproductive herd health program.