Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the effects of prenatal and postnatal stress on the sexual behavior of rats. Methods: Thirty-two 2-month-old male Wistar rats were divided as follows: the EG Group (comprised of 10 rats whose mothers underwent gestational stress), the EO Group (11 rats subjected to postnatal stress), and the SE Group (control group, comprised of 11 animals that went through no stress whatsoever). Upon reaching adulthood, these male rates were introduced to females and had their sexual behavior assessed based on the number of mounts. Results: The animals from the EP Group showed significantly fewer mounts (74 ± 24.77, p < 0.05) when compared to those from the EG (108.9 ± 35.27) and SE (99.6 ± 20.76) Groups. Conclusion: The rats that underwent stress during the first days of life mated fewer times than those whose mothers were subjected to stress during pregnancy. The latter had their sexual behavior unaltered.
Highlights
Homosexuality has been the subject of intense philosophical and social discussions and has only recently gone through scientific scrutiny
The animals whose mothers had been subjected to prenatal stress developed a sexual behavior similar to that of the animals in the control group, who had not undergone any sort of stress
This study indicated a marked change in the sexual behavior of rats that had undergone stress during the first ten days of life, when comparing them to the animals in the control group and to those that had suffered prenatal stress
Summary
Homosexuality has been the subject of intense philosophical and social discussions and has only recently gone through scientific scrutiny. This removal was followed by heated discussions which culminated in the view that homosexuality was the result of a personal choice [2] [3] and was not a psychiatric disorder. This discussion goes beyond academic circles owing to the personal and social impact of the prejudice towards homosexual individuals. The aim of this study was to evaluate if there is any relationship between prenatal and postnatal stress and sexual behavior in rats [4]
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