Effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on sexual maturation of female rat offspring.

To assess sexual maturation of female offspring from alcoholic rats, vaginal opening, body weight, prolactin (PRL), luteinizing hormone (LH) and growth hormone (GH) were followed during development. The vaginal opening in the female offspring from alcohol-fed dams was delayed compared with the offspring from both pair-fed and normally fed dams. There was an increase in plasma PRL levels together with a decrease in levels of plasma LH at the time of the opening of the vagina in rats prenatally exposed to alcohol (PEA) with respect to both control groups. The increase in PRL was the only hormonal alteration which persisted into adulthood (120 days). In general, there were no changes in levels of plasma GH between experimental and control groups. These data indicate that PEA results in a modification in secretions of PRL and LH as well as in a delay in the opening of the vagina.