The effect of intravaginal misoprostol application on the cervical expansion in Dorper ewes was evaluated to make feasible the transcervical embryo recovery. Sixty-eight female donors were synchronized with an impregnated vaginal device of progesterone; superovulated with FSHp; inseminated by laparoscopy technique with fresh semen, 36 hours after the removal of impregnated vaginal device; and submitted to transcervical embryo recovery. The ewes were arranged in two treatments: treatment 1 (n=10), representing the control group, without intravaginal misoprostol application before embryo recovery; and treatment 2 (n=58), with application of 200µ g of misoprostol in the vagine, five hours before the embryo recovery. The control group did not allow the cervical transposition, making unfeasible the recovery. Animals from treatment 2 reached 94.8% of cervical transposition, resulting in significant (P<0.05) difference between treatments. The described recovery technique was accomplished in a mean time of 30.14±9.00 minutes, allowing a mean recovery of 6.02±3.61 of embryos per animal. It was concluded that the transcervical technique, with previous intravaginal misoprostol application, was a feasible method to recover embryos of Dorper ewes.
sheep; embryo; transcervical recovery; Dorper
