Summary: Chapter 6 - Female Reproductive Behavior

Read the summary and the most important questions on Chapter 6 - Female reproductive behavior

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• What is the difference between estrous and anestrous females?

  Estrous females:
  

  • Seek out males
    
  • Initiate copulation
  • Prefer to remain close to males
  • They are more attractive to males

  
  
  Anestrous females will not show these behaviors.

• How do reproductive hormones influence female sexual behaviors?

  They do not "turn on" female sexual behavior, but affect the input systems:
  

  • Acuity
  • Sensitivity
  • Efficiency 
    

• What are the 6 components of female reproduction?

  1. Courtship
  2. Mating
  3. Ovulation
  4. Pregnancy
  5. Parturition
  6. Lactation

• Explain the cycle changes in the vaginal cells of a female rat.

  • Estrus. Cornified epithelial cells are present and it lasts 36h.
  • Diestrus. Cornified cells reduce in numbers and leukocytes and nucleated epithelial cells appear. 48h (divided into diestus I and II meaning day I and II)
  • Proestrus. Many nucleated epithelial cells and leukocytes are reduced. 12h.

• What is the effect of progesterone on sexual behavior in rats?

  It has a biphasic effect:
  

  1. First, progesterone (with estradiol) initiates female sexual behavior.
     
  2. Later in the cycle, after copulation and after estrogen levels fall, the corpora lutea secrete large amounts of progesterone and this inhibits female sexual behavior. 

• Into what 3 different components is female sexual behavior divided and what does each component consist of?

  1. Attractivity: the stimulus value of a female for a given male (how attractive a female is to males)
  2. Proceptivity: the extent to which a female initiates copulation. Reflects overt behavior and motivational state.
  3. Receptivity: state of female responsiveness to sexual initiation of another individual.

• What does the PROX score measure?

  PROX score tests the attractiveness of females by measuring the amount of time males spend with confined females.

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• What is important in forming the stimulus basis of female attractivity?

  Chemical cues.

• What is the most common analysis of proceptivity? What other measures are used?

  • To measure efforts by females to establish and maintain proximity to males.

  
  Also used:
  

  1. Number of solicitations made before intromission
  2. Alternating approaches and withdrawals. 
  3. Attractiveness of the male mating partner. 

• What hormones are important in receptivity?

  • Estrogen stimulation
    
  • Injections of estradiol and progesterone can induce lordosis.