SOME EFFECTS OF OVARIECTOMY AND INJECTION OF OVARIAN HORMONES IN THE ARMADILLO

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The uteri of armadillos, spayed before they had ovulated, declined in weight. Administration of oestradiol to such animals results in a gain in uterine weight due primarily to an increase in thickness of the myometrium. In animals bilaterally ovariectomized subsequent to ovulation, implantation occurred regularly 22–24 days postoperatively, with little loss of blastocysts. The administration of progesterone to animals from which the ovary containing the corpus luteum has been removed is compatible with maintenance of the blastocyst. In one instance an unimplanted blastocyst was recovered on day 31 after operation. The enigma of implantation following bilateral ovariectomy in this species remains unexplained.