Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

An Efficient Single-Person Technique for Milk Sampling from Laboratory Mice
Published on: March 28, 2025
THE EFFECT OF GESTATION ON THE RATE OF DECLINE OF MILK SECRETION WITH THE ADVANCE OF THE PERIOD OF LACTATION
S Brody1, A C Ragsdale, C W Turner
1Department of Dairy Husbandry, University of Missouri, Columbia.
Abstract:
1. Data are presented showing that the course of decline of milk secretion with the advance of the period of lactation in farrow cows follows the course of decline of a monomolecular chemical reaction, that is each month's milk production is a constant percentage of the production of the preceding month (94.77 per cent in the case of the cow under consideration), from which it is inferred that milk secretion is limited by a chemical reaction initiated at parturition, and declining with the decrease of the concentration of the limiting substance as it is transformed into milk. 2. Data are presented showing that the decline in milk secretion due to pregnancy is related to the increase in weight of gestating animals, from which it is inferred that growth of the fetus is in part, at least, responsible for the decline in the milk flow due to the demand of the fetus for nutrients to support its life processes.
Related Concept Videos
Hormonal Regulation of the Menstrual Cycle
At puberty, GnRH begins a pulsatile release pattern, which triggers the anterior pituitary gland to secrete follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). The frequency and amplitude of GnRH pulses vary across the menstrual cycle, with faster pulses favoring LH release and slower pulses favoring FSH release.
Secretory Phase
Following ovulation, the corpus luteum, a temporary endocrine structure, produces progesterone and estrogens. These hormones stimulate the growth and coiling of endometrial...
Ovarian Cycle
The Mammary Glands
Each breast features a pigmented projection known as the nipple, through which milk emerges via closely spaced openings of ducts, referred to as lactiferous ducts. Surrounding the nipple is a circular pigmented area of skin named the areola, which appears rough due to...
Proliferative Phase
Notably, the stratum basale, the basal layer of the endometrium, including the basal parts of the uterine glands, remains unaffected by menstruation. Stem cells in this layer undergo mitosis, regenerating the stratum functionalis and thickening the...
The Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual phase occurs from days 1 to 5 and involves the shedding of the stratum functionalis, as a uterine...

