DEPENDENCY OF FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM ON BODY CONDITIONS 



65 



D. Dependency of the Female Reproductive System on General Body 



Conditions 



1. Inanition 



In the immature female mammal continued underfeeding results in general 

 retardation of sexual development. The younger follicles may develop, but 

 the later stages of follicular development are repressed. In the adult female, 

 inanition produces marked follicular degeneration and atresia as shown by 

 many records of retarded sexual development, reduced fertility, even cessation 

 of the cyclic activities of menstruation and estrus occurring in man and 

 domestic animals during war-produced or natural famine (Mason in Allen, 

 Danforth, and Doisy, '39, p. 1153). The ovary thus seems to be especially 

 susceptible to starvation conditions, even more so than the testis. As the 

 condition and well-being of the secondary reproductive structures are de- 

 pendent upon proper ovarian function, this part of the reproductive system 

 suffers marked changes as a result of ovarian dysfunction during prolonged 

 starvation. 



SUSPENSORY 

 LI6 A MEN T 



HORN OF 

 UTERUS 



BROAD 



LIGAMENT 



URINARY 

 BLADDER 



OS UTERI 



UROGENITAL 

 SINUS 



Fig. 36. Schematic representation of reproductive organs of the female cat. On the left 

 side of the illustration, the body of the uterus and uterine horn have been cut open, and 

 the Fallopian tube and ovary are highly schematized. Observe the partial ovarian capsule 

 around the ovary shown on the right and the relatively fixed condition of the infundibular 

 opening of the oviduct lateral to the ovary. 



