Table 1 Progesterone, testosterone and estradiol levels in control rats and animals treated with anesthesia, ventral or dorsal sham surgery performed at 13:00 h on each day of the estrous cycle and sacrificed 1 h after treatment

PROGESTERONE

Control

22.9 ± 1.9

8.0 ± 1.1

11.1 ± 1.9

17.3 ± 2.4

Anesthesia

41.6 ± 6.0*

14.9 ± 3.4

16.9 ± 2.3

11.3 ± 1.5

Sham ventral

63.5 ± 11.1*◆

33.8 ± 4.4◆*

28.7 ± 2.4◆*

26.3 ± 1.1*◆

Sham dorsal

26.5 ± 1.1^#

21.7 ± 2.1*

16.3 ± 1.6^#

10.9 ± 2.1

TESTOSTERONE

Control

8.5 ± 2.3

54.5 ± 8.4

99.0 ± 14.1

<2

Anesthesia

7.0 ± 2.6

86.8 ± 13.5

132.0 ± 22.4

<2

Sham ventral

19.1 ± 8.6*◆

103.4 ± 14.0*

285.8 ± 28.0*◆

76.5 ± 20.8*◆

Sham dorsal

8.6 ± 2.9^#

26 ± 6.5^#◆

206 ± 16.1*

<2^#

ESTRADIOL

Control

57.3 ± 6.0

49.1 ± 5.0

144.0 ± 11.8

22.5 ± 2.9

Anesthesia

45.7 ± 6.2

54.5 ± 7.7

142.2 ± 17.2

20.4 ± 2.1

Sham ventral

46.6 ± 5.6

38.6 ± 2.8

149.7 ± 11.3

30.2 ± 2.6

Sham dorsal

76.3 ± 6.5

63.3 ± 7.1

93.7 ± 16.8

28.8 ± 4.0