Reproduction and Viability of Female Rat Offspring When Exposed To Ethanol

Abstract

The work was carried out on female mongrel white rats (n=40) who were exposed to 10% ethanol solution during pregnancy, from one to five months before its onset, and on their viable offspring (n=220). Two periods of increase in the mortality rate of female rats were revealed: the first occurred in the 1st month of the experiment (mortality reached 25 %) and the second-in the 4th and 5th months of the experiment, when this indicator increased to 10 %. In rats, an increase in the duration of pregnancy was observed: the most significant prolongation of pregnancy (by 5 days) was revealed in females who were under the influence of ethanol for five months before its onset. The structure of total intrauterine mortality was dominated by preimplantation mortality, the highest rates of which were observed in rats treated with ethanol only during pregnancy, as well as for two and five months before its onset. The maximum post-implantation mortality was recorded in females exposed to alcohol for five months prior to pregnancy.