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Bovine Conceptus — Maternal Interactions during the pre- and Postpartum Periods¹

Dairy Science Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Conceptus and maternal bovine endocrine systems interact throughout gestation such that pregnancy not only is maintained but that continued development and growth of the fetus are assured until its delivery from the maternal unit. This architectural achievement is brought about by a variety of regulatory agents (protein and steroid hormones, cellular receptors, prostaglandins, etc.) that program homeorhetic response (2) of the maternal unit to permit normal fetal development. Perhaps the most vivid example of the ability of the conceptus to regulate the maternal unit is its ability to program development of mammary gland so that production of milk is synchronized closely with delivery of the mature fetus from its in utero environment (parturition). Secretion of milk at this time assures a continued source of nutrients for the newborn. However, abilities of the maternal unit to produce milk and manifest maternal behavior would not be apparent unless the conceptus exerted various controls in utero.

¹ Florida Agriculture Experiment Station Journal Series No. 2528.