Comparison of the patterns of antral follicular development between hormonally synchronized and natural estrous cycles of non-seasonal, polyestrous goats in the tropics

Abstract The effects of estrus synchronization with prostaglandin F 2α (PGF 2α ) and Controlled Internal Drug Release Device (CIDR) on ensuing antral follicular development were documented and compared to natural estrous cycles of non-seasonal tropical goats. Two to six follicular waves were observed, with the three-follicular wave pattern being most frequently observed (58%), followed by four follicular waves (31.6%) per estrous cycle. There were no significant differences ( p  > 0.05) between the PGF 2α - or CIDR-synchronized and natural estrous cycles nor between the synchronized and subsequent non-synchronized cycles in terms of the time of ovulation, the duration of inter-ovulatory intervals, daily numbers of antral follicles ≥3 mm in diameter, and the number of follicular waves per cycle in the goats of the present study.