Perinatal nutritional effects on postpubertal secretion of gonadotropins and feedback responsiveness to estradiol-17β in sexually mature heifers.

Developmental changes in response to nutritional extremes may in some cases be manifested later in adult life. Objectives of experiments reported herein were to test the hypotheses that maternal nutrition during mid- to late-gestation interacts with postnatal nutrition during the juvenile period in heifers to impact 1) tonic secretion of gonadotropins, and 2) estradiol-17β (E2) negative and positive feedback responsiveness in adulthood. Heifers were selected from a larger population programmed nutritionally using a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of pre- and postnatal diets.