On Effects of Paternal Ethanol Treatment on Fetal Outcome

Abstract

To study the effects of paternal chronic low-dosage ethanol administration on fetal outcome, male Sprague-Dawley rats received either .6g/ kg ethanol (experimental group) or water (control group). Males were mated between the fourth and seventh weeks of treatment. Pregnancies were terminated on gestational Day 21. Cerebral weight and placental weight in offspring of the ethanol-treated males were significantly larger than those of control males. There was no effect on litter size. Experimental females (dams that became pregnant when paired with an ethanol-treated male) were significantly heavier than control dams. Since these pairings were random at every mating, the experimental males appeared to have been more successful impregnating heavier than lighter females.