What is vaginal cytology? It sounds scary! But it’s simply checking the appearance of the cells lining the vagina. [Cytology means the study of body cells].
Serious and experienced breeders routinely check blood progesterone levels during heat so they know the right time to mate. Mating only at the right time will optimize the quality of the stud dog’s semen rather than spreading it thin through using him when it doesn’t count. Mating at the right time will also optimize the chances of both pregnancy and the biggest possible litter.
Many breeders come to realize it is worth the time and trouble to check progesterone levels rather than miss out on precious litters. But it can be costly.
Vaginal cytology is a quick and easy way for a breeder to know when to start progesterone testing, so they aren’t wasting tests by having them done too early in the heat.
Starting prog testing too early costs breeders a small fortune in time, vet bills and unnecessary hormone tests.
Vaginal Cytology Kits for dogs are a great investment. You can get your own here.
What Does Vaginal Cytology Show?
The cells lining the vagina of the bitch are usually soft, just like the inside lining of your mouth. Those soft cells are too vulnerable to the physical force of a natural mating so when she is in heat and nearly ready for mating they change. But under the influence of rising estrogen levels during proestrus they change.
The way they change is to grow more layers from underneath, and let the top layers die off. The top layer of dead vaginal cells act like a tough barrier to protect the tender soft cells underneath. Under the microscope they will now gradually take on an appearance more like the tough flaky cells on your skin.
The effects on the cells of rising levels of estrogen during pro-estrus are what we are looking for when examine a vaginal smear under the microscope. The cells will change from being softly rounded with large dark central areas, to having a flaky, jagged outline, with very small or no dark central area.
Why DIY Vaginal Cytology
It only takes a few minutes to prepare a vaginal smear of your bitch and it can save you a lot of money!
As a canine fertility test, your Vaginal Cytology Kit for dogs is useful for timing:
- When to take your bitch to board with the dog.
- When to start progesterone testing to pinpoint the best mating time.
- When any matings you do are likely to count.
On its own it does not however tell you exactly when she ovulates nor when her most fertile period is likely to be. But it will tell you when to start your Progesterone tests to pinpoint ovulation so you don’t waste time and money having useless tests done too early.
How to Do Your Own Vaginal Cytology
As true estrus approaches we can see this difference easily by taking a sample of the cells inside the vagina using a cotton bud.
You then transfer the vaginal cells by rolling the cotton bud onto a clean glass microscope slide. This is called a “smear”.
We then prepare the smear for checking under a microscope by fixing it with a fixative, then staining it with special laboratory stains. [The stains that come with the Kit will last the typical breeder for years].
Get your own DIY Vaginal Cytology Kit here.
The whole process only takes minutes. Here’s how:
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