Nutritionally induced body weight loss and ovarian quiescence in Shiba goats.

Four female Shiba goats were used to determine the influence of body weight loss by dietary restriction on estrous cyclicity. The dietary restriction was started on the day following ovulation. The goats were fed hay cube and straw at an amount of 30% of energy requirement based on weekly body weight measurement. The ovaries were monitored daily by transrectal ultrasonography and blood samples were collected daily by jugular venipuncture for ovarian steroids analysis. After the start of food restriction, all animals lost body weight and entered ovarian quiescence. Intervals to the onset of ovarian quiescence tended to depend on the body weight of each animal at the start of food restriction. The mean concentration of progesterone during the mid-luteal phase (from 7 to 13 days after ovulation) in the last estrous cycle before ovarian quiescence was significantly lower than that in normal estrous cycle of the control period (19.7 +/- 2.8 vs 12.3 +/- 2.2 ng/ml, P<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in the length of the luteal phase, determined as the period when corpora lutea existed and concentrations of progesterone were equal to or greater than 1 ng/ml (15.8 +/- 1.5 vs 15.0 +/- 2.8 days, P>0.1). A rise of estradiol concentration and follicular growth in the follicular phase following a decline of progesterone level after luteal regression tended to be suppressed at the onset of ovarian quiescence. It seems that the present results are consistent with previous findings that nutritionally induced body weight loss influences the secretion of ovarian steroids and eventually induces ovarian quiescence.