Reproductive performance in rats with different histories of malnutrition

1. Reproductive competence, as measured by weight gain during pregnancy, duration of pregnancy and foetal outcome, was assessed in primiparous rats (4--6 months of age) with various histories of malnutrition. 2. Although weight gain during pregnancy was reduced in rats with intergenerational malnutrition, the duration of pregnancy and number of live births did not differ from well-fed controls, suggesting adaptation of these measures to long-term dietary deprivation. 3. Rats malnourished from birth through pregnancy (one generation of malnutrition) had fewer live births than did rats with chronic, intergenerational malnutrition or well-fed controls rats. 4. Gestation was prolonged and weight gain accelerated among female rats with histories of intergenerational malnutrition, who had been provided with an adequate diet from birth through pregnancy.