Fig. 3. Standardized measurements of total lumbar spine length over the course of the 20-week study. Means (± s.e.m.) for each of the 5-week blocks of the study are plotted on the x-axis. Baseline corresponds to the 5-week period prior to colony separation and these data have been standardized to zero to show relative gains in lumbar spine length between the groups. The dotted line indicates the time of colony separation, and the remaining data blocks correspond to 1–15 weeks after removal from reproductive suppression. Significant differences between the paired females (N=6) and males (N=6) or controls (N=6) are noted with an asterisk (P<0.05). Data from cohorts CC1, CC2, CC9, CC10, CC11 and CC12 are included.