Effects of Neonatal Administration of Clomiphene Citrate on Sexual Behavior of Female Rats: A Preliminary Report

Female rats were treated with the nonsteroidal estrogen antagonist clomiphene citrate for the first 5 days postpartum. The expectation was that clomiphene would influence the sexual development of these animals as is the case with sexually immature animals treated with steroidal compounds. Analysis showed that treatment with clomiphene completely disrupted the adult sexual behavior of the female. In five consecutive days of testing the experimental females were never observed to mate. They were mounted significantly less often than controls, suggesting that the males were less attracted to them than to normal females. The initial suggestion that clomiphene might affect the sexual behavior of females has been supported; however, further research must be done to identify the underlying mechanism of the change.