Male copulatory behavior in the female rat after perinatal treatment with an antiandrogenic steroid

Adult male copulatory behavior was studied in female rats treated with an antiandrogenic steroid (cyproterone) perinatally. A time-sampling method was used to obtain a detailed record of all behavior occurring during testing. Females were treated with cyproterone either prenatally, pre- and postnatally, or not at all. They were ovariectomized and given testosterone prior to the mating tests. Treated animals engaged in significantly less female-directed activity and fewer of them engaged in copulatory acts in early tests. By the last test there were no differences between the groups. Only untreated animals ever displayed the ejaculatory pattern and only rarely.