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Ovarian arterial blood velocity measured with Doppler ultrasonic transducers in conscious ewes

Summary. Changes in the mean velocity of ovarian arterial blood flow during the oestrous cycle were monitored in 5 ewes by the use of Doppler ultrasonic transducers chronically implanted around the ovarian arteries. In arteries supplying ovaries with a corpus luteum (CL), the velocity was minimal from Day –1 to Day 2 inclusive (Day 0 = day of oestrus), increased steadily until Day 13 (–4) and then declined precipitously. In contralateral arteries supplying ovaries without a CL, the velocity remained at a consistently low level throughout the oestrous cycle.

In each ewe, arterial blood velocity to the ovary with a CL and progesterone levels in peripheral plasma were highly correlated; within-individual correlations falling between r = 0·830 (P < 0·001, n = 15) and r = 0·936 (P < 0·001, n = 15). The changes in the velocity of the arterial supply to the ovulatory ovary and the plasma progesterone levels during the luteal stage of the cycle followed a similar pattern to that for weight of luteal tissue in similar ewes.