Studies on gestational factors affecting postpartum reproductive performance in dairy cows and the health and reproductive potential of their offspring.

Abstract

Improving and sustaining the health and productivity of dairy cows require integrated strategies that combine management and appropriate nutrition. This review adopts two complementary perspectives: optimizing periparturient management to support high productivity without compromising animal health and improving gestational nutrition to produce healthy replacement heifers. Several studies have examined how maternal nutritional and metabolic status before and after calving influence postpartum reproduction, productivity, placental development, and offspring health. Prepartum energy status is a key determinant of early postpartum ovarian function, with a timely first ovulation associated with adequate insulin-like growth factor-I exposure during follicular development. Insufficient β-carotene intake in energy-prioritized feeding systems adversely affects ovarian resumption. Uterine recovery is also nutrition-sensitive; cows with endometritis exhibit signs of impaired liver function, whereas delayed uterine involution is associated with inefficient ruminal nitrogen utilization. Supplementation with lysine, the first limiting amino acid in corn-based diets, further promotes uterine recovery. From a developmental perspective, maternal insulin resistance is associated with low birth weight and altered endocrine profiles in calves, which are indicative of long-term metabolic vulnerability. In contrast, lysine supplementation during the dry period supports neonatal protein synthesis and growth. Furthermore, in growing primiparous cows, greater milk yield during early pregnancy was associated with reduced anti-Müllerian hormone concentrations in female calves, suggesting a lower ovarian reserve. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of gestational and peripartum nutritional management not only for improving dairy cow fertility and productivity but also for optimizing the health and reproductive potential of the next generation.