Effect of gonadotropins on ovulation and ovarian histology in the immature Mongolian gerbil.

The present study is an analysis of the effects of superovulatory doses of gonadotropins on the rate and time of ovulation and ovarian histology in immature gerbils. Groups were treated with various combinations of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). The maximum superovulatory response followed treatment with 10 IU PMSG and 20 IU HCG. High dosages of PMSG inhibited superovulation, as did some combinations involving the highest dose of HCG. Entrapment of ova within corpora lutes was common in groups receiving high doses of either gonadotropin. Luteal regression, appearing by day 3, occurred often in groups receiving high doses of HCG. A dose of 10 IU PMSG and 5 IU HCG resulted in both a near maximal superovulatory response and the least abnormal ovarian alteration.