Uterine morphology and function in postpartum mares

Ultrasonically detectable characteristics of the uterus and embryo and palpable uterine tone were assessed in 10 postpartum mares. A bright fern-like pattern of ultrasonic uterine echogenicity, outlining the endometrial folds, was observed for an average of 2.1 ±0.2 days following parturition (range, 1 to 3 days). Unexpectedly, the uterus was quiescent throughout the postpartum interval, based on daily one-minute contractility scans. Contractility was maximal on Days 12 to 15 of pregnancy in both postpartum (n=7) and nonparturient (n=7) mares. The mean diameter of ultrasonically detectable intrauterine fluid collections increased (P<0.05) abruptly between days 1 and 2 postpartum and gradually decreased (P<0.05) between days 4 and 7; no collections were detected after day 16. There was no effect of day on echogenicity of the intrauterine fluid collections; on all days, fluid was relatively black or nonechogenic, suggesting that puerperal endometritis was not a problem in this group. Because the increase in intraluminal fluid occurred after parturition and in temporal association with a decrease in diameter and tone of the uterus, the fluid collections apparently represented a physiologic influx from the involuting uterus rather than residual placental fluid. Involution of the horns was completed by day 27 (formerly nongravid horn) and day 31 postpartum (formerly gravid horn), based on failure to detect further significant decreases in diameter. However, the formerly gravid horn was larger (P<0.05) in diameter than the formerly nongravid horn on each of Days 1 to 35 postpartum (end of experiment), indicating residual effects on uterine size. When averaged over both horns, uterine diameters were larger on Days 0 to 24 (Day 0=day of ovulation) of pregnancy in postpartum mares than in nonparturient mares; by Day 25, diameters were similar between statuses. By approximately Day 6 of pregnancy, uterine contractility and ultrasonic endometrial exhotexture were similar between postpartum mares and nonparturient mares. Uterine tone was greater (P<0.05) in postpartum mares than in nonparturient mares on all days between Day 0 and 25. An unexpected, transient increase in uterine tone was detected on Day 5 of pregnancy in both postpartum mares and nonparturient mares. No differences were found between reproductive statuses in patterns of embryo mobility, the day of fixation of the embryonic vesicle (postpartum, Day 15.3 ±0.4; nonparturient, Day 15.0 ±0.3), and diameter of the embryonic vesicle on the day of fixation (postpartum, 22.1 ±1.4 mm; nonparturient, 19.4 ±l.6mm). However, mean uterine tone and mean horn diameters on the side of fixation were greater (cranial and middle cornual segments; P<0.05) or tended to be greater (caudal segment; P<0.1 ) on the day of fixation in postpartum mares than in nonparturient mares. In all postpartum mares, fixation occurred in the formerly nongravid horn. Enhanced uterine tone in postpartum mares may account for the occurrence of fixation on the same day for the two reproductive statuses, despite the larger uterus in postpartum mares.