From what I was told NO Finasteride is NOT approved by the FDA for use in Women. However, it is because of exactly what was said above about child bearing.
I am 39 and had to prove the "factory is closed" for having children before my Dr. would write me a prescription. I am too early on to tell if it is helping stabilize hair loss.

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley

dear all, i so grateful finding this thread. i was given oral minoxidil by a derm doctor in June for one month supply. he claimed gave me 1 mg mino. after 1 month ,i hv bad shedding. and i went to pharmacy bought the 5mg tablet, split into 4. 1.25 mg each. taken it for 4 months plus. shedding stop after 2nd months. in fact i was having no hair fall at whole during that 4 months. but things start went wrong again, in end Oct. i think i started to lose all the hair gained from minoxidil. i suspect the doc in fact gave me 5mg pill. not 1 mg. so all the 1.25 mg i take all these is not effective at all.

so i decide to double the dose to 2.5 mg. after 1 month taken, shedding happen again. which i feel glad ,cos mean it effective again. but right till now ,shedding still happen. i depressed. this time the shedding is much longer than i expected ,almost from week 4-8.

i think i gonna maintain the 2.5 mg for another 2 months. before consider 5mg dose daily.

anyone hv any thought>? in fact ,i felt quite tired these day. not sure is it the oral minoxidil effect. i afraid 5mg ll be too much and experience another round of shedding.

Thanks for all the information and research in this post - really helped sum up the pros and cons.

Have noticed Loniten is available very cheaply from several online pharmacy places (I use Inhouse). Am planning to start 2.5mg twice daily.