Uterine Involution

Involution

 Reduction in size of the genital tract

 Occurs in decreasing logarithmic scale
 Greatest change occur during the first few days after calving
 Uterine contraction continue after calving for several days
 Decrease in
 regularity
 Frequency
 Amplitude
 Duration

 Myofibril size reduction from

 First day - 750 to 400 μm
 Next few days – 200 μm
 Whole uterus is palpable per rectum –
primiparae – 8 days
Pluriparae – 10 days

 Diameter of the previously gravid horn - halved by 5 days

 Length - halved by 15 days
 Postpartum days 4 and 9
 Days 10 and 14 postpartum
Involution - cervix

 Complete involution
 Dairy cattle – 26 to 52 days
 Changes after day 20 to 25 are not macroscopical
 Cervix
 10 to 12 hours – impossible to insert hand
 96 hours – two finger dilatation
 Atropy and shrinkage – elimination of fluid
 Reduction in collagen and smooth muscle
Cervix

 Two days postpartum – 15 cm

 10 days postpartum - 9 to 11 cm
 30 days postpartum – 7 to 8 cm
 60 days postpartum – 5 to 6 cm
 At 25 days postpartum cervix diameter should exceed
the previous gravid horn diameter
 Indicates normal involution
Involution

 Generally involves reduction in collagen and smooth muscle size

 PGF2α metabolite – uterine involution
 Exogenous hormone administration
 Estrogen
 PGF2α Do not influence rate of involution
 Oxytocin
 Supplementation of β carotene
Restoration of endometrium

 Second cleansing or secundus

 First 7 to 10 days – fluid and debris loss At about 9 days
 Lochia
 Discharge – yellowish brown or reddish brown Blood stained



Pluriparae – 1000 – 2000 ml
Primiparae – 500 – 1000 ml
lochia
 Some animals all may be absorbed At the end -
2 to 3 days – more lochia
Lymph like


 8 days – reduced
 14 to 18 days - nil
Odour
Lochia

 Remains of fetal fluid

 Blood from ruptured umbilical vessels
 Sherds of fetal membranes
 Mainly from the sloughed surfaces of the
uterine carancles
 Slough occurs following
 Degenerative changes
 Necrosis of the superficial layers
Endometrial repair

 Acute phase protein – Hepatocyte – Limit tissue damage and promote repair
 Immediate postpartum to 2 to 4 weeks period
 Intercaruncular area – 8 days (Involution complete)
 Endometrial repair by growth of cells from adjoining cells
 Centripetal growth
 Caruncle size – 40 to 60 days – 4-8mm dia and 4-6mm height
 Pluriparae – melanin pigmentation and more vascular
Return of Cyclical activity

 Anovulatory follicular waves – Pregnancy (Except last month)

 7 to 14 day postpartum – FSH (For 3 to 5 day period)
 6 – 8 days postpartum – First follicular wave start
 E2 and Inhibin produced by follicles – suppress FSH
 One dominant follicle – develops more LH receptors
 IGF 1 binding protein proteases
 This allow high level of IGF 1 (bioactive) by degrading IGF binding protein
 Large follicle continue to grow
Return of cyclicity…..

 Depending on LH pulse freq (1 per hour)

 Ovulate – 30 to 80 per cent cow
 Atretic - 15 to 60 per cent cow
 Cystic - 1 to 5 per cent cow
 Due to
 LH pulse freq
 Size of the follicle (<1cm)
 Conc. of IGF 1
 First ovulation occurs approx. 21 days
 Silent heat
Elimination of bacterial contamination

 At calving – vulva relaxed – cervix dilated Physical expulsion

 Bacterial contamination
 E.coli – 7 days post partum Phagocytosis by
 Trueperella pyofenes – 3 weeks – favor gram negative anerobe ROS
Nitric oxide
 Leading to delay in conception Protease
 αHemolytic streptococci – 7 days – improve conception rate Phospholipids from
cytoplasmic granules
 Blood, cell debris and sloughed caruncular tissue – ideal
medium
 Uterine environment sterile – 6 to 8 weeks acute phase reaction
Factors

 Age
 Season
 Suckling
 Climate
 Periparturient abnormalities
 Subclinical hypocalcemia
 Uterine infection
 Nutrition
Horse

 Ut horns out line - by 12 hours postpartum

 Ut horns pregravid size – by 30 to 32 days
 Involution rapid – 1 to 3 days
 Less rapid – after 7 days
 Lochia – 24 to 48 hours only
 Ovarian rebound – 5 to 12 days
 On day of foaling – micro caruncles are unchaged
 Day 1- edematous
 Day 2 to 5 – cytoplasmic vacuolisation, Karyorrhexis and inflammation
 Day 7 – endometrium is as like at estrum
Sheep and Goat

 Involution – 20 to 25 days (complete)

 Restoration of endometrium
 Hyaline degeneration – occurs in connective tissue at base and adjacent endometrial crypts
(3 days prior to lambing)
 Fetal villi – unaffected
 After lambing – this degeneration increases with constriction of blood vessel
 Necrosis – sloughing – by 4 days – dark reddish brown or Black lochia
 16 days - brown discharge
 Reepithelialization by 28 days
 Ovarian rebound – few days to 2 weeks postpartum
 Bacterial contamination – usually sterile
Pig

 Involution – rapid upto 5 days (initial ut weight loss)

 Complete by 28 days
 Reduction in amount of connective tissue
 Collagen degradation markers in urine
 Hydroxylsyl pyridinoline (HP) : Lysyl pyridinoline (LP)
 HP:LP ratio = 20 (smooth muscle have very low LP)
 LP is abundantly available in Bone
 Endometrium is repaired by 21 days
 Ovarian cyclicity – after weaning
Weaning age (Days) 2 13 24 35
First estrus (Days) 10.1 8.2 7.1 6.8
Dog

 Bitch – monocyclic – parturition followed by anoestrus

 CL regression – rapid initially – 1 or 2 week postpartum –reduced in size
 After this period – slower regression
 After 3 months – CL size 2.5 mm
 Involution period – 4 weeks
 However endomnerial repair – desquamation followed by regeneration
 120 days
 Placental attachment area – dark brown colour up to 12 weeks postpartum
Cat

 Involution – 5 to 6 days (morphological)

 Serosanguinous vulvar discharge – up to a week
 Some animals may take 25 days for involution
 If no kittens to suckle
 Estrus appear 7 to 10 days after parturition
 If mated – conception occurs
Thank you