Lecture 6: Female Reproductive Behaviors Flashcards
When females are ‘in heat’ it means they are in behavioral ___ and permit mating
Estrous
During behavioral ____, females will not seek out males, initiate copulation, or preferentially spend time with males
Anestrous
What stages of male reproductive behavior in rats are not possible without lordosis?
Intromission and ejaculation
Are females active participants in reproductive behaviors?
Yes - however up until mid 1970s it was believed they females were passive recipients of male reproductive behaviors (still primary notion in bird research)
What four behaviors are seen in females who are in behavioral estrus?
-Lordosis
-Approach and dart away
-Hop a certain distance, wait, and move back
-Wiggle ears
____ is a stimulus value of a female for a given male
Attractiveness
______ is the extent to which a female initiates copulation?
Proprioceptive
___ is the female’s state of responsiveness to the sexual initiation of another individual
Receptivity
In the real world ___, ___ and ___ all interact and overlap
Attractiveness, proprioceptivity, and receptivity
Surgical removal of both ovaries will ___ adult female productive reproductive behaviors in most mammals
stop
In humans, the average length of the menstrual cycle is ___ days
28
What drives the switch between behavior estrous and behavioral anestrous?
The female reproductive cycle
What happens during the follicular phase?
Follicles begin to develop, single mature follicle matures and ovulation occurs
When does the corpus luteum develop?
Luteal phase
What hormone is elevated during ovulation? Luteal phase?
During ovulation, estrogen is elevated. During the luteal phase, progesterone is elevated.
Gonadotropins are secreted by the ____ pituitary
Anterior
___ surge triggers ovulation
LH
Follicle stimulating hormone becomes elevated during the ___ phase and reaches its peak during __
Follicular; ovulation
Describe the positive and negative feedback mechanisms involved in the hypothalamus-anterior pituitary-ovary axis
In positive feedback (ovulation): the anteroventral periventricular nucleus of the SCM (suprachiasmatic nucleus) activates the GnRH neuron, which activates anterior pituitary. In response, anterior pituitary secretes LH/FSH, which activates gonads. Activation of gonads causes release of estradiol, which activates Kiss1 neurons of the AVPN.
In the negative feedback mechanism: the arcuate nucleus of the SCM activates GnRH neuron, which activates the anterior pituitary. In response, the AP secretes LH/FSH, which activates the gonads. Activation of gonads causes release of estradiol, which inhibits Kiss 1 neurons of the AVPN.
How do the LH profiles of male and female rats compare?
Males: stays the same, low, over course of 144 hrs
Females: Becomes elevated between 72 and 96 hrs
During what phase of the menstrual cycle will females initiate sex the most? The least?
Ovulatory phase; Midluteal
Behavioral estrus occurs around what stage of the menstrual cycle?
Ovulation
The house mouse and lab rat have an estrous cycle that lasts ___ days
4 to 5
What researcher is responsible for examining vaginal smears of guinea pigs to determine external markers of the 16 day estrous cycle and creating the pap smear test?
Dr. George Papanicolau
Using vaginal cytology representative of rodent cycle stages, small rounded cells in clusters are present in ___ while cornified cells are present in ____
Behavioral estrous (proestrus) ; vaginal estrous (estrous)
