Biology of Reproduction, Vol 23, 657-662, Copyright © 1980 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Nonsurgical Recovery of Uterine Embryos in the Baboon

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama in Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294

A nonsurgical technique is described for the recovery of baboon eggs using an Isaacs endometrial cell sampler modified for continuous medium flow. After gentle insertion of the catheter through the undilated cervix, 10 ml of warm medium is injected at the rate of 1 to 2 ml/min and collected into a 15 ml tube. Thirty-seven eggs have been recovered from 80 flushes (46%) on 33 baboons. The recovery rate has increased with additional experience; 23 eggs have been obtained from the last 40 flushes (57.5%) compared with 14 from the first 40 (35%). Eggs have been recovered from five successive flushes in one animal, and 18 eggs have been recovered from 24 flushes (75%) on four animals. Successful recoveries were performed 0 to 6 days after sex skin detumescence, indicating that the unfertilized baboon egg does not degenerate immediately after entering the uterus. Twenty-one eggs have been recovered from flushes during 44 mated cycles (48%) on 21 animals, and of these 14 (67%) were fertilized. Developmental stages of recovered embryos ranged from 4-cell to expanding blastocyst.

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