Question

I have a mare with insulin resistance, and I am having trouble getting her in foal. What can I do?

Answer

With such limited information, this is a difficult question to answer. It is unlikely that insulin resistance alone is causing infertility. I would look to the stallion and mare for problems first.
The first step is to rule out stallion fertility problems. This is usually the easiest information to obtain because the breeding history is fairly straightforward. What is the stallion’s past breeding performance? Is the mare being bred live cover or is cooled or frozen semen being used?

If stallion fertility is not a concern, the mare is next on the checklist. Does the mare get pregnant and then lose the pregnancy, or does the mare never achieve pregnancy? Generally, the place to start if the mare has not become pregnant after two or three cycles is to perform a uterine culture and biopsy to look for uterine disease. A thorough cervical and vaginal examination with a speculum should also be performed. The mare should also have an ultrasound examination to look for any extensive uterine cysts or other reproductive abnormalities.