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Changed control of cervical secretion from infertile ewes previously exposed to oestrogenic clover pasture

Summary. The amount of cervical mucus recovered from control ovariectomized ewes increased with increasing doses of oestradiol benzoate (OB), while the maximum Spinnbarkeit of mucus occurred at an intermediate dose of OB. Neither the amount nor the Spinnbarkeit of mucus varied with the dose of OB in ewes with permanent infertility caused by grazing oestrogenic pasture (clover-affected ewes). Furthermore, the increase in Spinnbarkeit of cervical mucus seen in normal ewes treated over a 3-day period with OB or with implants containing oestradiol did not occur in affected ewes. In control ewes treated repeatedly with OB, production of mucus declined within 5 days, but no change in secretion was detectable in clover-affected ewes. Therefore, neither the amount nor the duration of oestrogenic stimulation affected the cervical mucus in ewes with clover disease. Affected ewes produced more mucus than did controls in the absence of oestrogenic stimulation. It is concluded that the relatively normal volume of mucus in affected ewes treated with OB results largely from autonomous production. The Spinnbarkeit does not increase in these ewes because the ability of the cervix to respond to oestrogen is impaired.