Freemarti

nism
Muhammad Farrukh
Hafeez
 Freemartin
FreemartinDefinition
Definition
 Freemartin are a subset of a
class of reproductive anomalies
know as Chimeras.
 Freemartin in bovine unlike
sexed twin and multiple
pregnancy about 92% of
female fetuses fail to have
normal sexual differentiation
and are likely to have
anomalies of the reproductive
organs that lead to absolute
sterility
 Freemartin introduction
 Freemartinism is a distinct form of intersexuality
which arises as a result of a vascular anastomosis of
the adjacent chorioallantoic sacs of heterozygous
fetuses in multiple pregnancies.
 The structures derived from the paramesonephric
ducts are almost entirely absent or are grossly
hypoplastic.
 Development of the mesonephric ducts is related to
the degree of masculinisation of the gonad.
 Freemartin history
Freemartin history
 18th century by physician (John Hunter)
freemartin remains the classic example of
abnormal sexual differentiation in mammals.
 1940 by( swett) the sterile cow born twin to a
bull is called "taura" which mean barren cow.
 1946 by (Forbes )that freemartin’ may have
signified an ”ox-like or bull-like” cow, just as
“Taura” may have indicated female bull.
 1969 by (Short) bull or ox-like “mart” or martin”
while cow was “Free”.
cellular Hormonal

freemartin
 Hormonal theory y
n ic
o tus
br fe
m ch
e
Ma tra f ea
le
&f f ex e o
em o ran
e
s b
ale Fu e m
m

Cow pregnant(2 fetuses) Chorion both

(male & female) share the same(cotyledone)
consist of (blood vessel & connective tissue)
provide
2 fetuses
testosterone Anti –mullerian.H

Female free martin

Affected on both fetuses Male poor sperm quality

 Cellular theory
• H-Y antigen secreted by the male partner, its
believed that H-Y is synthesized in the testis of
the fetal bull calf, disseminated in the blood
and bovine via vascular anastomoses to target
cells in the ovary of the heifer partner .When
the concentration of H-y reaches a certain
critical threshold in the female gonad,
differentiation of the ovary is inhibited
External characteristic of female free martin
 
1-Small vulva ,coarse hair extending from the
ventral commissar.
2- The clitoris is Enlarged .
3-Short length of vagina ,Absence of OS of the
cervix
4- Disconnected uterine horns and vagina
 Internal characteristic of female freemartin

1-Small sized ovary.

2-Masculinization of the gonad, retarded development of
paramesonephric (Mullerian) duct derivatives and
development of the mesonephric (Wolffian) duct
derivatives
3-In extreme cases there are well-developed epididymis, vasa
deferentia and vesicular glands.
.4- In few cases some of the cords resemble seminiferous
tubules
Normal ovary Small ovary Absences of
cervix, Large clitoris.
Presence of cervix
freemartin
Characteristic of male heterozygous

 The bulls co-twin to heifers are also chimerical,

but their genital organs are normal. However,
on account of the poor quality of their semen.
 Cytogenetic investigations of bulls used in
artificial insemination showed that leucocyte
chimerism, with frequency ranging from 1% to
4.2%, is more common than other
chromosomal aberrations.
 Mal
e&
fe m
Single-born freemartin
male

Cow pregnant(2 fetus) 30-40 days of gestation

Vascular anastomosis
transmission of testosterone&(AMH)
inhibit growth of female reproductive
organ(freemartin) death of male twin after 30-
40 day of gestation parturition

Single-born freemartin
 Freemartin diagnosis
Labor
atory
test
Measuri
ng
Cytogenetic karyotyping
vaginal
length

Diag
PCR nosis
Blood
typing Freema
rtin
charact
eristic

LAMP
 ro be
ar ti n p
ree m
a n f
Ru-

(Ru-an Freemartin Probe)

used to detect freemartin
heifers Freemartins can be
identified on the basis of the
length of the vagina and the
absence of the cervix.
 Prevention
Prevention of
of freemartin
freemartin

• Freemartinism dose not occurs when

androgens are inducted early in pregnancy,
into cows carrying female fetuses
Thanks