Hormonal changes around oestrus of farmed fallow deer, Dama dama

Concentrations of LH, progesterone, oestradiol-17 beta and androstenedione were measured in serum from blood samples collected from 6 fallow does every hour for 46 h during a spontaneous oestrus. Four does had similar serum hormone profiles, with a pronounced preovulatory LH surge (approximately 20 ng/ml) occurring within 4 h of the onset of oestrus, a small elevation (from 0.1 to 0.3 ng/ml) of progesterone at the onset of oestrus, a gradual but non-significant increase (up to 25 pg/ml) of oestradiol-17 beta and a marked 2-fold increase of serum androstenedione concentrations occurring immediately at the onset of oestrus. The remaining 2 does showed pronounced increases in serum progesterone concentrations at the onset of oestrus and a reduction in the initial LH surge. One of these does exhibited a second preovulatory LH surge within the sampling period.