ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on potential experiments that may be conducted to understand and elucidate the mechanisms of reproductive toxicity. While this is not an exhaustive or definitive explanation of the mechanisms of reproductive toxicity, it should provide researchers of all professional backgrounds with a foothold for experiments evaluating a mode of action once a chemical substance has been identified as a reproductive toxicant in regulatory studies. Detailed information about regulatory studies for reproductive toxicity can be found later in this book in Chapter 8. This chapter focuses on evaluating mechanisms of action in the major areas of toxic insult to the reproductive system. Such areas include the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis of the male and female, pregnancy, parturition, and lactation.
