Heat stress is a major problem that affects the cattle industry worldwide. Industry losses result especially from
deleterious effects of heat stress on the animal’s reproductive system. In the female reproductive tract, exposure
to elevated temperatures can alter folliculogenesis [1], reduce uterine blood flow [2], and reduce circulating progesterone concentrations [3–6]. Oocytes can also become damaged by maternal hyperthermia, losing
competence for fertilization and development [7–10]. Furthermore, heat stress is responsible for low pregnancy
rates and high embryonic losses in embryos produced either in vivo [8] or in vitro [10,11]. However, different
breeds respond differently to heat stress. For example,