Failure of conspecific males to prevent the water deprivation-induced disruption of oestrous cycle in laboratory mice.

Chronic water deprivation induced severe disruption of the oestrous cycle in regularly cycling laboratory mice. Most of the water-deprived females became anoestrous from the beginning of water deprivation or after one complete cycle in the initial stages. The presence of a conspecific male was ineffective in preventing the cycle disruption in water-deprived females. The inability of conspecific males to prevent the water deprivation-induced disruption of oestrous cycle in females contrasts with the ability of conspecific males to prevent the diet restriction-induced irregularities in the oestrous cycle in females. It is suggested that as compared with diet restriction, water deprivation induces a greater suppressive effect on the hypothalamo-hypophysial-gonadal axis in females which cannot be removed by the male-originating olfactory cues.