Test procedures to evaluate effects of chemical exposure on fertility and reproduction

Various methods have been developed to assess the effects of chemical substances on reproduction. In some instances, the tests have been developed to define the effects of treatment on specific segments of the reproductive cycle. In other cases, studies are conducted to determine the cumulative effects of treatment during one or more generations. The structure, advantages, and disadvantages of three types of conventional reproduction studies are reviewed. An outline of the procedural sequences, observations, and record evaluation required in the three-period reproduction study, the three-generation reproduction study, and the multigeneration reproduction study are presented.