Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: Progesterone (P) has an unusual role in didelphid marsupials in that pheromonally induced levels of pro-estrous P trigger ovulation. Work in our lab reveals that serum P levels are significantly higher on pregnancy day 3 in the didelphid, Monodelphis domestica, plummet to extremely low levels during pregnancy day 5, and return to day-3 levels on day 9, before gradually declining as pregnancy advances. Because this precipitous decline coincides with the h...