Effects of perinatal alcohol on sexual differentiation and open-field behavior in rats

Prenatal alcohol treatment prolonged the gestation period by 1 day in 5 out of 11 mothers and decreased the anogenital distance of pups of both sexes measured at birth. There were no effects on body weights of the pups at birth, total number of pups per litter, or sex ratio. The postnatally alcohol-treated males (pups nursed by alcohol-drinking mothers) had a significantly earlier preputial separation than animals treated with alcohol prenatally only or controls. There were no differences among the groups on the parameters of adult masculine sexual behavior, plasma testosterone, weights of sex accessory glands, or open-field behavior. Animals treated perinatally with alcohol showed a significant inhibition of penile reflexes. Repeated testing, however, abolished this effect.