Endocrine bases of lactational anoestrus in the sow

Parturition in the sow is followed by a period of anovulation which is prolonged by lactation. Follicular development and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion are depressed during the last month of pregnancy. After parturition, LH secretion increases but is again inhibited by the establishment of lactation. Lactating sows are submitted to stimuli originating from the young, whose intensity culminates 3-14 d post-partum (pp), and to high nutrient requirements for milk production. The inhibitory effects of sucklings are imposed during the first 3 d pp and seem to be mediated by the action of opioids at the hypothalamic level. The nutritional deficit constitutes an additional inhibitory factor. As lactation continues, LH secretion progressively increases. A further rise in LH occurs at weaning. Variations in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) profiles are less marked. The divergence observed between LH and FSH might be explained by different mechanisms of control; FSH secretion depends mainly on ovarian inhibition whereas LH secretion depends mainly on factors related to lactation. Folliculogenesis progressively resumes during lactation and follicles acquire the ability to respond to the weaning-associated stimuli and begin preovulatory growth. Hormones modified by lactation, such as prolactin, insulin, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor I, may influence folliculogenesis directly at the ovarian level or via modifications of gonadotrophin secretions. In conclusion, the inhibition of the hypothalamo-pituitary-ovarian axis during lactation is mainly due to suckling-induced neuroendocrine reflexes. We hypothesize that the nutritional deficit becomes relatively more important during the third and fourth weeks pp.