Effects of vagino-cervical stimulation upon sociosexual behaviors in female rats.

The role of vagino-cervical stimulation in the control of feminine copulatory behavior in the behaviorally estrous rat was examined in a complex environment that allowed the test female to pace her contacts with sexually active males, sexually passive males and ovariectomized females. Manipulations of vagino-cervical stimulation by administration of a topical anesthetic or by probing with a glass rod, immediately before testing in the complex environment, did not significantly alter any aspect of behavior in behaviorally estrous females. Transection of the pelvic nerve increased the number of intromissions and ejaculations that the females received and increased the amount of time that the females spent with the sexually active males. The present results implicate the pelvic nerve in the modulation of motivation for coital contacts in the female rat.