Endocrine regulation of puberty in cows and ewes
Kinder, J.E.; Day, M.L.; Kittok, R.J.
Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. Supplement 34: 167-186
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0449-3087 PMID: 3305916 Document Number: 291851
A review. Sexual maturation in cows and ewes is modulated through changes in hypothalamic inhibition. This inhibition results in little or no stimulation of the release of gonadotropins from the anterior pituitary. The ovary has a primary role in inhibiting gonadotropin secretion during the prepubertal period, and the responsiveness to the negative feedback effects of oestrogen decrease during the peripubertal period. There is also an increased secretion of ovarian progesterone during the peripubertal period, but its role in the process of sexual maturation is not clear. Photoperiodic cues and dietary intake act upon the hypothalamus to modulate gonadotropin secretion during sexual maturation and, in turn, influence the time when puberty occurs.