Table 3.

Classification of the phases of oestrous cycle based on the cell types and relative number of these cells in vaginal smears (Cora et al., [8])

Oestrous phase	Neutrophils	Small nucleated epithelial cells	Large nucleated epithelial cells	Anucleated keratinized epithelial cells	Relative cell density
Proestrus	0 to +	++ to +++	0 to +	0 to +	Low to moderate
Estrus
Rat	0 to +	0 to ++	0 to ++	++ to +++	Moderate to high
Mouse	0 to +	0 to +	0 to +	++ to +++	Moderate to high
Metestrus
Rat	+ to +++	+ to ++	+ to ++	+ to +++	Moderate to high
Mouse	+ to +++	0 to +	0 to +	++ to +++	Moderate to high
Diestrus	++ to +++	+ to ++	+ to ++	0 to +	Low to moderate

0 = none; + = few; ++ = moderate; +++ = high