Associations of insulin resistance with calving difficulty and birth weight of offspring in late pregnant beef cows.

Altered insulin resistance markers in late pregnancy may predict dystocia risk in beef cattle.

This study investigated the relationship between insulin resistance markers during late pregnancy and dystocia in beef cattle. Forty-five Japanese Black cows were monitored from days 229-285 of gestation, with blood samples analyzed for glucose, insulin, NEFA, BHB, and other metabolic markers. Insulin resistance indices including HOMA-IR, RQUICKI, RQUICKI-BHB, and glucose-to-insulin ratio were calculated. Dystocia occurred in 16 cows while 29 had uncomplicated parturition. The dystocia group demonstrated significantly lower insulin levels and higher insulin resistance indices during early late pregnancy, along with elevated NEFA concentrations in late pregnancy's second half. These metabolic alterations suggest that insulin resistance patterns during late gestation may serve as predictive biomarkers for dystocia risk in beef cattle. The findings provide insights into metabolic endocrine changes associated with calving difficulty.

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