Bilateral maintenance of XXXX corpora lutea by the feto-placental unit.

@entity95 @entity1420
The present study was undertaken to determine whether the @entity95 feto-placental unit maintains corpora lutea systematically and/or locally and the interrelationships between conceptus number, luteal weight, luteal @entity1420 concentrations and serum @entity1420 levels. Thirty-three does were divided into the following treatment groups: (I) bilaterally pregnant, two ovaries; (II) unilaterally pregnant, two ovaries; (III) bilaterally pregnant, one ovary; (IV) unilaterally pregnant, one ovary, contralateral and (V) unilaterally pregnant, one ovary, ipsilateral. Blood samples were obtained from all @entity95 on days 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 post coitum. Does were killed on day 21, and the percentage of viable fetuses, fetal weights, and luteal weights recorded. Blood samples and corpora lutea were analysed for @entity1420 . Serum @entity1420 levels were similar for all groups until day 9 post coitum. Levels in groups III, IV and V declined significantly between days 9 and 12 following removal of one ovary at day 9. Fetal viability, fetal weights and luteal @entity1420 concentrations did not differ among any of the groups. Luteal weights did not differ among groups I, III, IV and V, but luteal weights of animals in group II were lower than those of group I (P less than 0.05). Ratios of viable fetuses to number of corpora lutea ranged from 1:11-10:5. No differences were observed in serum @entity1420 , luteal weights or luteal @entity1420 concentrations among animals with two conceptuses and those with seven or more, but serum @entity1420 levels in does with only one conceptus were lower than those in does with more (P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
