Mediante exames semanais de palpação retal em 72 vacas leiteiras até o 42°dia pós-parto (p.p.) e dosagens de progesterona através do radioimunoensaio (RIE) e do enzimimunoensaio (EIE) até o 72° dia p.p., verificou-se que 9,7% dos animais portavam cistos foliculares, 6,9% tiveram aciclia completa, 6,9% tinham corpo lúteo persistente ou cisto luteínico, 22,2% foram acometidos de endometrite e 6,9% possuíam endometrite associada com cistos foliculares. Os cistos foliculares tiveram lugar, em média, no 29 ± 8,1° dia p.p., ao passo que o primeiro pico de progesterona ocorreu no 56,4 ± 7,8°dia p.p. Casos de cistos luteínicos ou corpo lúteo persistente ocorreram somente após o 42° dia p.p. Manobras obstétricas indevidas por ocasião do parto podem elevar em muito a incidência de endometrite num dado rebanho.Seventy-two dairy cows were submitted to weekly rectal palpation exames until 42nd day post-parturition (p.p.) and progesterone dosages by Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and Enzymimmunoassay (EIA) until the 72nd day p.p., were performed. It was observed that 9.7% of the animals bore follicular cysts, 6.9% were completely acyclic, 6.9% had corpus luteum persistens or luteinic cyst, 22.2% were affected by endometritis and 6.9% had endometritis associated with follicular cysts. Follicular cysts appeared in average on the 29 ± 8.1 day p.p. while the first progesterone peak occurred on the 56.4 ± 7.8 day p.p. Cases of luteinic cysts or corpus luteum persistens appeared only after the 42nd day p.p. Inadequate obstetric manipulations at parturition time could rise very much the endometritis incidence in a given herd
