Effect of ovarian hormones on water and electrolytes in the cow uterus

¹ Dairy Cattle and Beef Cattle Research Branches, Animal Husbandry Research Division, Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland

Water and electrolyte characteristics of the uterus varied among groups of estrous, luteal-phase and ovariectomized cows. In the endometrium, estrous cows had highest water content, highest extracellular and lowest intracellular water volumes, and highest Na and lowest K concentrations; ovariectomized cows were at the opposite extreme and luteal-phase cows intermediate for each factor. In myometrium, water content was also highest in estrous cows and lowest in ovariectomized ones. Relative to the other groups, luteal-phase cows had myometrium low in extracellular and high in intracellular water volumes, low in Na and high in K. Ovarian hormones given to ovariectomized cows partially reproduced the characteristics of intact animals.