Association between the Area of the Highest Flank Temperature and Concentrations of Reproductive Hormones during Pregnancy in Polish Konik Horses-A Preliminary Study.
Authors: Maśko Małgorzata, Zdrojkowski Łukasz, Wierzbicka Małgorzata, Domino Małgorzata
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Polish Konik mares demonstrated measurable changes in flank and abdominal surface temperatures during pregnancy, with thermal differences becoming apparent from the sixth month gestation onwards, suggesting that infrared thermography could serve as a non-invasive monitoring tool for pregnancy progression in horses that are difficult to handle or restrain. Researchers tracked 26 pregnant and 14 non-pregnant mares over eleven months using thermal imaging of the lateral abdomen and flank region, whilst simultaneously measuring serum concentrations of four key reproductive hormones: progesterone, estrone sulphate, 17-β estradiol, and relaxin. Although weak associations emerged between the area of highest flank temperature and both progesterone and relaxin concentrations across different pregnancy months, these relationships lacked statistical significance, indicating that surface temperature changes are not directly driven by hormone fluctuations but may instead reflect underlying metabolic and vascular adaptations supporting foetal development. The practical value lies in the potential application of thermal imaging as a supplementary assessment method in wildlife management, conservation breeding programmes, and situations where traditional reproductive monitoring proves impractical, though practitioners should recognise this as preliminary evidence requiring validation in larger populations across diverse breeds. Further research is needed to establish whether thermal imaging protocols could reliably predict pregnancy stage or identify complications, particularly given the influence of ambient temperature on surface measurements.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Infrared thermography of the flank area may offer a non-invasive method to assess pregnancy stage and reproductive status in mares that cannot be easily handled or sampled
- •Thermal imaging changes become consistent from month 6 of pregnancy onwards, potentially useful for pregnancy monitoring in wildlife or difficult-to-handle equids
- •Reliance on ambient temperature as a confounding variable is necessary when using thermal imaging for reproductive assessment, as body surface temperature fluctuates with environmental conditions
Key Findings
- •Thermal features of the abdominal flank area (Area of Tmax) showed association with progesterone and relaxin concentrations across pregnancy months in Polish Konik mares
- •Differences in maximal and average temperature of the lateral abdomen appeared from the sixth month of pregnancy
- •Minimal temperature differences between pregnant and non-pregnant mares were observed from the eighth month of pregnancy
- •Superficial body temperature changes corresponded with ambient temperature variation rather than reproductive hormone concentration changes