Sex ratio and litter size in relation to parity and mode of conception in three inbred strains of mice

Breeding records from three inbred strains of mice (BALB/c ABom, C57BL/10ScSn, C3H/He/Kon) were examined with respect to the effects of parity and mode of conception upon litter size and sex ratio at birth. Litters from 3 modes of conception were considered: litters of primipares, litters of multipares conceived during postpartum oestrus and litters conceived after lactational anoestrus. Litters of multipares were assigned to one of these latter groups according to the inter-litter intervals. Parity had no significant effect upon the sex ratio but had a significant one upon the litter size, which did not vary between the strains when first litters were excluded from analysis. The expected variations in response to the mode of conception were found in BALB/c ABom mice but both the effects on the litter size as well as on the sex ratio varied significantly between the strains. Litter size reduction per se could be ruled out to be the cause of the sex ratio variations found. Rather, it is suggested that sex-specificity of embryonic loss depends upon the mode of conception.