Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: Hypothalamo–pituitary–testicular feedback is intact in the ovine fetus. Exogenous testosterone suppresses fetal LH and testicular steroidogenesis to maintain normal circulating testosterone concentrations. INSL3 is a non-steroidal hormone secreted by the fetal testis whose roles include facilitating testicular descent. We hypothesised that the homeostatic response to increased androgens would have a detrimental effect on fetal INSL3 expression....