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Provoked Ovulation or Long-Delayed Pseudopregnancy from Coital Stimuli in Barbiturate-Blocked Rats

Department of Anatomy, Duke University School of Medicine Durham, North Carolina 27706

This investigation was supported in part by grants from the Research Council of Duke University and from the National Science Foundation (NSF-GB1737).

Abstract

When spontaneous release of the ovulation quota of hypophysial gonadotropin was blocked in female rats by pentobarbital or phenobarbital on 2 successive days, 91 of 170 (53.5 %) copulated when placed with potent males during the night following proestrus, indicating that estrous behavior does not depend on the proestrous surge of ovulating hormone. Among 74 females that copulated, 14 (19%) became pregnant as the result of ovulations clearly invoked by the copulatory stimulus. This confirms other evidence that "reflex" ovulation can occur in rats under special conditions. In the remaining animals copulation had 2 bizarre effects: 1) The current set of graafian follicles became atretic instead of ovulating on the third night as expected. 2) Pseudopregnancy usually followed the formation of new corpora lutea during the next cyclic estrus 5 or 6 days after the copulatory stimulus. Thus, information from the stimulus was apparently retained within the central nervous system long after being received. Whether prolactin secretion is at once increased and maintained at high level while awaiting formation of competent corpora lutea remains to be determined. (Endocrinology 80: 145, 1967)

Received July 18, 1966.

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