Implantation failure was induced in a large proportion of newly inseminated female
mice by food deprivation for 48 hrs beginning at 10.00 hr on day 4 post coitum. The
presence of the stud male prevented implantation failure in food-deprived females.
The protective effect on implantation in food-deprived females was not provided by
the presence of a conspecific strange male. It is suggested that the newly inseminated
female retains the olfactory “memory” of the stud male over a period of time after
mating and this memory induces a luteotrophic effect in food-deprived females leading
to the protection of implantation. The results also lend strong support to the view
that the newly inseminated female mouse identifies her coital partner as an individual
through olfactory cues.
Food deprivation - Implantation failure - Stud male - Pheromones - Individual identification
