The potential exists to improve different sow reproduction traits, such as age at puberty, oestrous\u00a0symptoms, ability to become pregnant, litter size, piglet survival and weight, milk production, maternal\u00a0behaviour and ability to show oestrus after weaning. In practice, however, considerable problems are\u00a0associated with genetic selection for most of these traits as they have low heritability values. The speed\u00a0at which genetic improvements can be achieved by traditional methods is slow. Many of the new\u00a0reproductive technologies offer possibilities for improving the rate of genetic progress. These include in\u00a0vitro embryo production (IVEP), non-surgical embryo transfer (ET), sperm sexing technology (SST), and\u00a0molecular biology techniques (QTL and MAS). The real impact on genetic progress will come from\u00a0combining new reproductive techniques with powerful molecular techniques. The former will allow a rapid\u00a0turnover of generations, whereas the latter can provide selection, which does not need phenotypic\u00a0information when the selection decisions are made.<\/p>\n