The mixed legacy of the rat estrous cycle

ConclusionsThe initial description the rat estrous cycle was correlated with a substantial decline in investigations that incorporated both sexes; one result was a marked increase in male-only studies and a striking sex bias that excluded female rats from biomedical research. Recognition of the advantages of studies that incorporate the rat estrous cycle has resulted in recent years in an increase of such investigations. Female rats and females of several other species are not more variable than their male counterparts across traits, arguing for female inclusion without requiring cycle monitoring. There, remain, however, many advantages of incorporating the estrous cycle in contemporary research.
Source: Biology of Sex Differences - Category: Biology Source Type: research