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Effect of Zinc Deficiency on Maintenance of Pregnancy in the Rat

U. S. Plant, Soil and Nutrition Laboratory, Soil and Water Conservation Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Ithaca, New York 14850

After 4 weeks on a low zinc diet (< 1 ppm), the number of female rats that would mate was greatly reduced. Addition of 2–3 ppm zinc to the drinking water resulted in mating of all rats. If zinc was removed on the day sperm were found, only half of the females were pregnant on day 8, and all of them had completely resorbed their fetuses by day 21. If the deficient females were given progesterone and estrone from days 4 to 21, all of them were pregnant on day 8, and half were able to maintain pregnancy to term. If the females were maintained on 3 ppm zinc throughout gestation, pregnancy was maintained and the zinc content of the fetuses was as high as that in fetuses of females receiving 50 ppm zinc.