Abstract
Abstract Three experiments were designed to test the ability of exogenous progesterone administered shortly after the termination of spontaneous heat to induce a second period of sexual receptivity. In female rats displaying four-day estrous cycles, a second period of sexual receptivity could be induced by exogenous progesterone administered before, but not after, 1100 hrs on the day following spontaneous heat. In a second experiment, animals given coital stimulation on the evening of proestrus were found to exhibit a second period of progesterone-induced receptivity equal in intensity to that of animals not receiving such stimulation. In the final experiment, various amounts of progesterone were administered to ascertain the relationship of dose and response. Dosages of 2.5 mg, 1.5 mg and 1.0 mg were equally effective in inducing mating behavior while a linear decrease was observed with smaller amounts. These results indicate that the neural substrate responsible for lordosis behavior is capable of reacting with progesterone administered early on the morning of the day following spontaneous heat to produce a second period of sexual receptivity.
Published Version
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