title: Progesterone and oestrogen concentrations in plasma of Barbary sheep (aoudad, Ammotragus lervia) compared with those of domestic sheep and goats during pregnancy.
abstract: Steroid hormone concentrations have been measured in the peripheral plasma of 3 Barbary sheep over 3 breeding seasons. During pregnancy mean progesterone values rose initially and after a small decline between Days 30 and 50, increased again and remained between 17 and 28 nmol/l until the last 2 days of pregnancy. Oestradiol-17 beta reached a peak of about 300 pmol/l during mid-pregnancy, increasing to over 400 pmol/l in the last 5 days of pregnancy. Oestrone sulphate began to increase in concentration from about Day 40 of pregnancy and reached a peak of about 19 nmol/l by Day 120. Following a slight decrease from Day 130, there was a further rise in values just before parturition. Values for these steroids in the Barbary sheep studied were between those expected for domestic sheep and goats.
authors.affiliation: AFRC Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research, Babraham, Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hamon
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Heap
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D004967:Estrogens / Q000097:blood*; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000097:blood; D004970:Estrone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006041:Goats / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000097:blood*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D012756:Sheep / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D004970:Estrone; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; C017296:estrone sulfate