BOVINE PROGESTERONE TEST
THE COST OF A MISSED HEAT
Standing heat only shows up in 1 in 5 cows ¹
Up to 1 in 3 “heat” alerts are false²
Almost 1 in 2 cows are culled before a third calving³
£1,000-£1,200 average cost of culling a single cow for failure to conceive⁴
Every missed heat means another 21-day wait and a longer calving interval.
WHAT IS P4HEATREAD?
A lateral flow test that measures progesterone (P4) in milk.
Progesterone is the hormone behind the reproductive cycle. It rises and falls on a fixed rhythm through the ~21 day oestrous cycle, and it stays high in pregnancy. When it drops, she’s in heat. P4HeatRead reads it directly from the milk sample, giving you an clear answer where behaviour can’t.
Quick
Results in minutes on farm
Accurate
Measures the hormone, not behaviour
Simple
No lab or special training needed
HOW TO USE IT
WHAT YOU CAN USE IT FOR
Confirm heat
Low progesterone means she is genuinely in heat. Inseminate with confidence.
Check return to cycling
Confirm a cow is back cycling after calving (test weekly from day 21).
Detect silent heat
Find the ~30% of cows cycling with no visible behaviour.⁵
Investigate problem cows
The same results over three weeks will indicate that she isn’t cycling normally (as should rise and fall throughout the cycle). A cue to call the vet.
Detect non-pregnancy early
A Low result at 21-24 days post-AI means she’s open. Re-serve sooner.
TAI protocol or validation
Confirm TAI or heat detection method is working as intended.
Unlike behavioural aids or activity monitors, P4HeatRead measures the hormone behind heat.
Enabling you to test before you breed.
Photo: Rebecca Ritchie
Farmer
Check whether a cow is actually in heat before AI, and identify cows in silent heat or yet to return to cycling after calving.
Veterinarian
An objective insight for investigating problem cows and supporting fertility programmes on farm.
AI Technician
Confirm when she’s genuinely in their fertile window, so you can AI at the right time.
WIDER IMPACT OF FERTILITY
up to 24%
Lower methane emissions when herd fertility is restored to ideal levels⁶
Emissions
Lower footprint per litre
Unproductive cows increase the herds footprint by increasing emissions intensity per litre of milk.⁷
Welfare
Longer, healthier lives
Reproductive failure is the leading cause of involuntary culling, so productive cows stay in the herd for longer, healthier lives.⁷
Sustainability
More from the same resource
Getting cows back in calf promptly will shorten calving intervals and reduce the number of replacement heifers, meaning more output from the same input.
Stop guessing.
Start testing.
Get in touch to discuss P4HeatRead for your herd
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1.Gaude I, Kempf A, Strüve KD, Hoedemaker M. Comparison of visual and computerized estrous detection and evaluation of influencing factors. Anim Reprod Sci. 2017;184:211–217. doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2017.07.019.
2.Aungier SPM, Roche JF, Sheehy M, Crowe MA. Effects of management and health on the use of activity monitoring for estrus detection in dairy cows. J Dairy Sci. 2012;95(5):2452–2466. doi:10.3168/jds.2011-4653.
3. Brickell JS, Wathes DC. A descriptive study of the survival of Holstein-Friesian heifers through to third calving on English dairy farms. J Dairy Sci. 2011;94(4):1831–1838. doi:10.3168/jds.2010-3710.
4. NADIS. Fertility in Dairy Herds — Part 1: What does poor fertility cost? nadis.org.uk (accessed 2026).
5.Shipka MP. A note on silent ovulation identified by using radiotelemetry for estrous detection. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2000;66(1–2):153–159.
6. Garnsworthy PC. The environmental impact of fertility in dairy cows: a modelling approach to predict methane and ammonia emissions. Anim Feed Sci Technol. 2004;112(1–4):211–223.
7.Dallago GM, Wade KM, Cue RI, McClure JT, Lacroix R, Pellerin D, et al. Keeping dairy cows for longer: a critical literature review on dairy cow longevity in high milk-producing countries. Animals (Basel). 2021;11(3):808. doi:10.3390/ani11030808.