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Puberty & Sexual Maturity in Domestic Animals Lecture-2

Presentation · November 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.16528.02561

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Amit Sharma
Dr. G.C. Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Palampur Himachal Pradesh India
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 Amit Sharma (Assistant Professor)
Veterinary Gynaecology & Obstetrics
College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences,
CSK HPKV, Palampur Himachal Pradesh India 176062
INTRODUCTION
 Puberty is the process of acquiring reproductive competence
 Puberty is a link between immaturity to maturity & marked by
first appearance of estrus cycle.
 The onset of puberty depends on the ability of specific
hypothalamic response to produce GnRH in sufficient quantities
to promote and support gametogenesis.
 The female hypothalamus contains a surge center and a tonic
center.
Puberty & Sexual Maturity
 Growth rate of genital organs is directly proportionate to
growth rate of body if nutrition is proper.
 At puberty, growth rate of genital organs is faster
 Puberty is the function of live weight rather than age
 Animal attains puberty if it attains 75% body weight of its
dam.

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Follows puberty
 Sexual Maturity is the age or stage when animal can normally
reproduce.
 The process of sexually maturing is termed puberty.
 In physiology, maturity is a stage after puberty, often occur the
appearance of secondary sex characteristics such as estrus
cycle, ejaculation.

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

Why does the male only have tonic
control centers ?

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Ovarian Changes:
 Change in pattern of gametogenesis :
At birth, each ovary contain 1.5 lacs primary or primordial follicles.
Follicular development or nuclear maturation continues without
support of hormones upto secondary follicular stage and if
environment is not supporting, they undergo atresia. At puberty,
endocrine environment changes and follicles may ovulate.

 Change in pattern of hormone production/release:

GnRH and LH
Prepubertal- pulsatile release of these hormones i.e. fixed amplitude
and frequency of pulses.
Frequency of LH increases i.e (one per hour) but amplitude remains
the same Ovulation
Puberty & Sexual Maturity
 Hypothalamus is highly sensitive to negative feedback
effects of E2 and P4 before puberty.

 In the prepubertal female, the surge center is quite

sensitive to the positive feedback of estradiol. But the
surge center cannot release ovulatory quantities of GnRH
because they cannot produce high level of estradiol.

 After puberty, changes occur in hypothalamus so it

looses high sensitivity to negative feedback effects of E2
and P4 to influence function of hypothalamus for release
of gonadal hormones.
Puberty & Sexual Maturity
 Before puberty in the female and male,
GnRH neurons in both the tonic center and
the surge center of the hypothalamus release
low amplitude and low frequency pulses
of GnRH
After puberty in the female, the tonic center
controls basal level of GnRH but they are
higher than in the prepubertal female
because the pulse frequency increase. The
surge center control the preovulatory surge
of GnRH.
Puberty & Sexual Maturity
 The failure of the hypothalamus to produce sufficient
quantities of GnRH to cause gonadotropin release is
known to be the major factor limiting pubertal onset.

 Even though the neurons in the surge center in prepubertal

females are sensitive to estrogen, they cannot secrete
much GnRH because estrogen is too low.

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

Puberty & Sexual Maturity
 Surge

Tonic

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

Puberty & Sexual Maturity
 Age at first estrus (heat)

 Age at first ovulation

 Age at which the female can support pregnancy without

deleterious effects

 Two general factors impact the development of

hypothalamic GnRH neurons in the female:

 a) Development of a threshold body size and composition

 b) Exposure to certain environmental or social cues

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Age when behavioral traits are expressed

 Age at first ejaculation

 Age when sperm first appear in the ejaculate

 Age when sperm first appear in the urine

 Age when the ejaculate contains a threshold number

of sperm

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Species Age (Months)
Cows 7-8 (Pure bred)
21-24 (Jersey and its crossbred)
36 (Zebu cattle)
Buffaloes 6-48
Mare 12-24
Sheep 6-15
Goats 4-8
Sows 6-8
Bitch 6-20
Cats 7-12

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

Fundamental Male and Female
Differences

Surge + Tonic

Tonic

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Nutrition

 Season

 Diseases

 Proximity of the male

 Breed and Genetic influences

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Nutrition----Fatness
 a. A certain degree of fatness is required for the onset of puberty in
the female
 Nutrition ---- Blood glucose and fatty acids
 Initiation of high frequency GnRH pulses is under the influence of
glucose and free fatty acids level in the blood

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

Puberty & Sexual Maturity
Puberty & Sexual Maturity
 Tropical climate favour early puberty

 In seasonal breeders, puberty may vary with the time of

birth e.g. Sheep, Mare

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Any disease which is retarding growth will delay puberty

 Diseases like calf scour, lantana poisoning which causes

liver damage and leads to altered release of
somatomedins thus retarding growth of calf

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 The photoperiod that the animal is experiencing during the
onset of puberty (sheep)

 The presence or absence of the opposite sex during the

peripubertal period (swine and cattle)

 The density of the groups in which the animals are housed

(swine)

 Whatever the species-specific factors may be, they affect the

secretion of GnRH

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

• Small groups of gilts or sheep housed together have
delayed onset of puberty

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Presence of the male hastens the onset of
puberty. This is known as ram or boar effect

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 In canines, smaller breeds attain puberty earlier

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

 Why first estrus is ‘silent’ ?
 Why first ovulatory cycle is short in pubertal heifers ?
 Different theories of Hormonal Development associated
with puberty.
 Menopause not associated with males ?
 Role of Alpha fetoprotein in defeminization ?

Puberty & Sexual Maturity

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