Double perinatal stress reduces the sexual response of adult female Wistar rats.

This article investigates the effects of double perinatal stress (DPS)—a combination of prenatal systemic hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insults and repeated early maternal separation (MS)—on the estrous cycle and sexual behavior of adult female rats. The study found that female rats subjected to DPS exhibited significant reductions in sexual receptivity and proceptive behaviors, such as lordosis quotient, lordosis rating, hops and darts, and genital exploration time, without changes in estrous cycle length but with increased absence of estrus. Additionally, male rats interacting with DPS females showed decreased copulatory efficiency and fewer ejaculations, indicating that female behavior influenced male sexual response. These findings suggest that combined prenatal and early postnatal stressors produce long-term inhibitory effects on female sexual behavior, potentially by altering neural circuits regulating sexual motivation and performance, and highlight the importance of managing early-life stress to improve adult sexual health and reduce vulnerability to affective disorders.