IntechOpen Book Series Veterinary Medicine and Science Volume 6

Prof. Dr. Faruk Aral has been a researcher at the Harran and Niğde University for more than 22 years. His practice is not limited to university work. He has worked in several institutions of animal research in public and animal feed manufacturers as well as in the private sector from 1988-1994. He earned his Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Ankara in 1987, and received his Ph.D. from the Department of Reproduc-

tion and Artificial Insemination at the same university (1994). In 2000, he served as Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at the Harran University and in 2010 moved to Nigde University. His research interests are reproduction and artificial insemination, andrology, spermatological studies, biotechnology and toxicology in animal reproduction in livestock animals, fish and bees.

Rita Payan Carreira earned her veterinary degree from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1985. She obtained her Ph.D. degree (Veterinary Sciences) at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (Portugal). For some years, Rita parted from her activity as a veterinary practitioner and teacher. After almost 32 years teaching at the University of Trásos-Montes and Alto Douro, she recently moved to the University

of Évora (Department of Veterinary Medicine), where she teaches in the field of Animal Reproduction and Clinics. Her primary research areas include the molecular markers of the endometrial cycle and the embryo–maternal interaction, including oxidative stress and the reproductive physiology and disorders of sexual development, besides the molecular determinants of male and female fertility. She often supervises students preparing their master's or doctoral theses. She is also a frequent referee for various journals in the area. Additional information can be found at http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5225-4510

Miguel Nuno Pinheiro Quaresma was born on May 26, 1974 in Dili, Timor Island. He is married with two children: a boy and a girl, and he is a resident in Vila Real, Portugal. He graduated in Veterinary Medicine in August 1998 and obtained his Ph.D. degree in Veterinary Sciences -Clinical Area in February 2015, both from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. He is currently enrolled in the Alternative Residency of the European

College of Animal Reproduction. He works as a Senior Clinician at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of UTAD (HVUTAD) with a role in clinical activity in the area of livestock and equine species as well as to support teaching and research in related areas. He teaches as an Invited Professor in Reproduction Medicine I and II of the Master's in Veterinary Medicine degree at UTAD. Currently, he holds the position of Chairman of the Portuguese Buiatrics Association. He is a member of the Consultive Group on Production Animals of the OMV. He has 19 publications in indexed international journals (ISIS), as well as over 60 publications and oral presentations in both Portuguese and international journals and congresses.

Contents

**Section 1**

**Section 2**

**Section 3**

and Pregnancy in Mares

*by Katy Satué and Juan Carlos Gardon*

*by Claudio Oliviero and Olli Peltoniemi*

Reproduction in Small Ruminants (Goats)

*by Stefan Björkman and Alexander Grahofer*

The Lidia Breed: Management and Medicine *by Juan Manuel Lomillos and Marta Elena Alonso*

Pheromone to Stimulate Sow Reproduction

Troubled Process of Parturition of the Domestic Pig

*by Fernando Sánchez Dávila and Gerardo Pérez Muñoz*

**Preface XI**

Reproductive Physiology and Clinical Endocrinology **1**

**Chapter 1 3** Physiological and Clinical Aspects of the Endocrinology of the Estrous Cycle

**Chapter 2 37**

**Chapter 3 59**

Reproduction in Small Ruminants **73**

**Chapter 4 75**

Sexual Cycle, Estrus Synchronization and Ovulation **87**

**Chapter 5 89**

**Chapter 6 111**

Tools and Protocols for Managing Hyperprolific Sows at Parturition:

Optimizing Piglet Survival and Sows' Reproductive Health

Understanding Sow Sexual Behavior and the Application of the Boar

*by John J. McGlone, Edgar O. Aviles-Rosa, Courtney Archer, Meyer M. Wilson, Karlee D. Jones, Elaina M. Matthews, Amanda A. Gonzalez and Erica Reyes*
