Exogenous progesterone supplementation: a strategy to enhance conceptus development in sheep and pigs?

The inability of animals to get pregnant, pregnancy loss and weak or stillborn offspring are significant economic burdens to livestock producers worldwide. Progesterone, the hormone of pregnancy, has a crucial role in the establishment of pregnancy, and it has been suggested that progesterone supplementation may be a promising strategy to improve pregnancy outcomes and conceptus development. This review article describes the existing literature on progesterone supplementation in sheep and pigs in relation to pregnancy outcomes and conceptus development.