Psychological and nutritional factors influencing the dynamics of gonadotrophin secretion in the female rat
This research has been concerned with the separate and combined effects of caloric deprivation and stress induction on the reproductive physiology of the female rat of the Long-Evans strain. Its objective was to determine whether the findings of controlled experiments provided support for existing hypotheses about the aetiology of amenorrhoea in anorexia nervosa. The relationship between alterations in body weight and reproductive function was investigated at regular intervals during caloric deprivation and nutritional rehabilitation. The aim was to determine the extent and duration of caloric deprivation required to induce anoestrus and whether the anoestrus was reversible. The latency of resumed oestrous cycling and associated body weight changes was investigated with rats on different rehabilitation regimens. A related objective was to determine whether a relationship existed between duration of malnutrition and recovery of the oestrous cycle. Pharmacological tests were used to investigate which components of the hypothalamic- pituitary-ovarian axis were dysfunctional during anoestrus.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations