Effects of postnatal corticosterone treatment on reproductive development in the rat

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Abstract
Reproductive development was studied in rats in which corticosterone (25 mg/100 g body wt) mixed with an equal amount of cholesterol was implanted i.p. at Days 3, 6, 12 or 18 after birth. Vaginal perforation in rats treated on Days 12 or 18 was advanced by 10 days but reproductive function in the treated animals was generally disrupted. A variable incidence of persistent vaginal estrus was observed in adult females given implants on Days 3 and 6, and of prolonged vaginal diestrus in those treated on Days 12 of 18. All treated females had lordosis quotients lower than those of untreated controls, the effect being most pronounced at the earlier ages of treatment. The results are believed to indicate 2 periods in reproductive development which are differentially affected by corticosterone.