The influence of beer, cognac and ethanol upon the follicular state of mouse ovaries on day 4 of pregnancy.

There exist few experimental and anatomo-clinical data with respect to the effect of preconceptional and intragestional ethanol (alcoholic beverages) intake upon ovarian morpho-physiology. In order to obtain an insight into this aspect of alcohol embryo- and fetopathy, the influence of acute intoxication with beer and cognac on the background of chronic intake (in mice) and of chronic ethanol intake (in rats) upon ovarian morphology was studied, on day 4 (mice) and 5 (rats), respectively. The following characteristics were registered: the percentage of various follicular developmental stages (I-V), of atreting follicles, of preantral and antral follicles, of follicles with precocious antrogenesis. Significant changes were round in mice with respect to antral and mature follicles (lower percentage induced by beer) and concerning atreting follicles (lower percentage induced by cognac). On the other hand, precocious antrogenesis (during follicular stage II) occurred by far more frequently than expected.