Co-regulation of female sexual behavior and pregnancy induction: an exploratory synthesis

This paper will review both new and old data that address the question of whether brain mechanisms involved in reproductive function act in a coordinated way to control female sexual behavior and the induction of pregnancy/pseudopregnancy (P/PSP) by vaginocervical stimulation. Although it is clear that female sexual behavior, including pacing behavior, is important for induction of P/PSP, there has been no concerted effort to examine whether or how common mechanisms may control both functions. Because initiation of P/PSP requires that the female receive vaginocervical stimulation, central mechanisms controlling P/PSP may be modulated by or interactive with those that control female sexual behavior. This paper presents a synthesis of the literature and recent data from our lab for the purpose of examining whether there are interactions between behavioral and neuroendocrine mechanisms which reciprocally influence both reproductive functions.