Reproductive performance depends on different protocols of recipients’ preparation. (A) The birth rate of ET offspring. The hormone + pairing group showed a significantly higher birth rate compared to the conventional group (*p < 0.05). n means the number of offspring/the number of transferred embryos. mean ± s.e.m. (B) The reproductive data after ET. (C) The birth ratio between ET pups and pups by natural paring in the hormone + pairing group. 30.2% (n = 29) were derived from ET embryos (BDF2 embryos) among a total of 96 pups. (D) The ET pup number of litters. The average number of litters was comparable among the groups. n.s means no significant difference. mean ± s.e.m.