Heavy drinking in women is known to adversely affect pregnancy and fertility. However, pregnancy is a complex process, and the adverse effects of
ethanol on pregnancy does not mean that
ethanol will have adverse effects on all stages from gamete to fetal formation. Similarly, the adverse effects of
ethanol before and after adolescence cannot be generalized. To focus on the effects of prepubertal
ethanol on female reproductive ability, we established a mouse model of prepubertal
ethanol exposure by changing
drinking water to 20% v/v
ethanol. Some routine detections were performed on the model mice, and details such as mating, fertility, reproductive organ and
fetal weights were recorded day by day after discontinuation of
ethanol exposure. Prepubertal
ethanol exposure resulted in decreased ovarian weight and significantly reduced oocyte maturation and ovulation after sexual maturation, however, normal morphology oocytes with discharged polar body showed normal chromosomes and spindle morphology. Strikingly, oocytes with normal morphology from
ethanol exposed mice showed reduced fertilization rate, but once fertilized they had the ability to develop to blastocysts.
RNA-seq analysis showed that the gene expression of the
ethanol exposed oocytes with normal morphology had been altered. These results show the adverse effects of prepubertal alcohol exposure on adult female reproductive health.