Good things come to those who mate: analysis of the mating behaviour in the menstruating rodent, Acomys cahirinus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Egyptian spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) is the only known rodent to exhibit true, human-like menstruation and postpartum ovulation, and is an important new model for reproductive studies. Spiny mice do not produce a visible copulatory plug, and calculation of gestational age is therefore restricted by the need to use mated postpartum dams. The current inefficient method of monitoring until parturition to provide a subsequent estimate of gestational age increases study duration and costs. This study addressed this issue by comparing the mating behaviour of spiny mice across the menstrual cycle and proposes a more accurate method for staging and pairing animals that provides reliable estimates of gestational age. In experiment 1, mating behaviour was recorded overnight

SUBMITTER: McKenna J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10127372 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature