Twin pregnancies on dairy cattle farms have serious repercussions on herd economy owing to their elevated rate of pregnancy loss compared to single pregnancies, and high indirect costs when twins are actually born. Among these additional costs are an increased culling rate (reducing the average lifespan of the animals on the farm), and the costs of anti-inflammatory and antibiotic agents needed to treat postpartum illnesses.
These issues have prompted attempts worldwide to implement techniques designed to mitigate the negative impacts of twinning. These include ways of eliminating one twin through manual rupture of one of the amniotic vesicles within 28-41 days of artificial insemination (AI), or ultrasound-guided follicular drainage of one of the two follicles present at the time of AI. Although both techniques work acceptably well, the former increases pregnancy losses possibly attributable to placental anastomosis in this species. In contrast, ultrasound-guided follicular puncture reduces twin pregnancies and increases additional corpora lutea (CL). However, this practice cannot be implemented on the basis of weekly
reproductive visits, and besides, the equipment needed is costly. Recently, a follicular puncture technique has been described that is similar to Ovum Pick Up but does not require ultrasound guidance and can be conducted during weekly reproductive visits.

The use of this method has highly beneficial impacts on farm economy, animal welfare
and antibiotic use postpartum.