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Effect of removal of lambs or treatment with bromocriptine on plasma concentrations of prolactin and FSH during the post-partum period in ewes lambing at different times during the breeding season

Summary. Daily determinations of FSH and prolactin in plasma were made for 10–12 weeks after parturition in ewes which lambed either in the middle of (December) or late in (February) the breeding season. Fluctuations in the plasma concentrations of FSH could not be related to the time after parturition or to the occurrence or otherwise of oestrus and ovulation. However, there was evidence of an increased secretion of prolactin post partum but only in those ewes which lambed in February. The lack of an elevated level of prolactin during the post-partum period in the December-lambing ewes was associated with an earlier return to oestrus by these animals. The suppression of prolactin concentrations by treatment with bromocriptine to undetectable values in the December-lambing ewes was not associated with an earlier return to oestrus. The removal of lambs at various times post partum from those ewes which lambed in February was not associated with any marked changes in prolactin secretion. The results suggest that when the plasma concentrations of prolactin are low post partum there is a greater likelihood of an earlier resumption of breeding activity in the ewe.