Propecia and Having Kids

[Wbhairguy]

Hi everyone, 

I am 26 and have been on Propecia for a year now. Luckily, no noticeable side effects. I am considering a hair transplant and know that I will likely have to remain on Propecia (or an alternative medication) for the future. Right now, I am taking 1mg 3x a week as instructed by Dr. Cooley in Charlotte, NC. 
 

How have people’s experience been with being on Propecia and having kids? Do you stop the medication while you are trying to have kids? Should I worry about infertility? 
 

Thanks! 

[PizzaWolf]

I took Fin for 2 years but stopped 6 months before knocking up my wife. I then resumed taking Fin. I really don't think my hair got any worse. 

I don't care what anyone says, if there's even a .00000000000000000000001 chance of causing birth defects, I'm not risking it. At the end of the day we're only talking about hair. It's absolutely a bummer to lose it, but I would go Norwood 7 in an instant for my children's health.

[Kharmacoma]

Ι am a believer that finasteride side effects are  almost non-existent and IF they occur, reversible. 

BUT, BUT:

Being a father for me is the something you don't play around with, and I wouldn't take finasteride before having kids, even if there is 1% possibility something happening.

IF you decide to take have some hormonal test before starting and consult with your doctor. Also, monitor your hormones after some time. 

The above may sound contradictory but this is my opinion. 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Kharmacoma

[Mat16]

9 hours ago, Wbhairguy said:

 Right now, I am taking 1mg 3x a week as instructed by Dr. Cooley in Charlotte, NC. 

Hey @Wbhairguy, can I ask you how was is fin working for you? Did your hair get any better? Or at least not worse? Because I’m on the same regimen and I feel like it’s not really working for me

 

@Kharmacomaby this you mean not taking fin before you have kids at all or just to get off of it for some period before trying to conceive?

6 hours ago, Kharmacoma said:

Ι I wouldn't take finasteride before having kids, even if there is 1% possibility something happening.

[Kharmacoma]

Not before having kids.  Family is my priority and I wouldn’t risk anything. 

[Wbhairguy]

10 hours ago, PizzaWolf said:

I took Fin for 2 years but stopped 6 months before knocking up my wife. I then resumed taking Fin. I really don't think my hair got any worse. 

I don't care what anyone says, if there's even a .00000000000000000000001 chance of causing birth defects, I'm not risking it. At the end of the day we're only talking about hair. It's absolutely a bummer to lose it, but I would go Norwood 7 in an instant for my children's health.

Thanks @PizzaWolf this is along the same lines as what I’ve been reading online. Seems like right approach is to stop long enough for the fin to exit your system entirely so that none can accidentally be passed to baby. Makes sense from that standpoint. Thanks for the response!

[Wbhairguy]

49 minutes ago, Mat16 said:

Hey @Wbhairguy, can I ask you how was is fin working for you? Did your hair get any better? Or at least not worse? Because I’m on the same regimen and I feel like it’s not really working for me

 

@Kharmacomaby this you mean not taking fin before you have kids at all or just to get off of it for some period before trying to conceive?

Hi @Mat16 to be honest, I think it is working for me. Occasionally, I’ll do every other day (which is like 5x more pills a month than 3x a week; some weeks 3 doses and other weeks 4 doses) but depends how I’m feeling. It definitely was not an easy decision to take finasteride as there are horror stories. It hasn’t changed anything drastically, but I do feel like my hair is thicker and I have not seen any further recession which is all I was aiming to do with the medication. I am also using rogaine too, so maybe I can contribute the success to the use of both at the same time. Additionally, I didn’t realize a difference until about 8-9 months on the drug so it definitely took some time. I wear my hair long anyways so any slight difference is probably not noticeable to other people. It is just easier to hide the receeded spots now and simply feels thicker in the front scalp region. 
 

Hope this helps!

[Wbhairguy]

7 hours ago, Kharmacoma said:

Ι am a believer that finasteride side effects are  almost non-existent and IF they occur, reversible. 

BUT, BUT:

Being a father for me is the something you don't play around with, and I wouldn't take finasteride before having kids, even if there is 1% possibility something happening.

IF you decide to take have some hormonal test before starting and consult with your doctor. Also, monitor your hormones after some time. 

The above may sound contradictory but this is my opinion. 

Hi @Kharmacoma thanks for the response! It was definitely a tough decision to start finasteride at 25 (now 26). But I couldn’t stand losing my hair at this point in my life so I decided to do it. I have tried to keep doses low and infrequent in order to allow for the drug to be successful but also mitigate risk of side effects. So far so good. Hopefully this continues. That is a great idea about having regular checks on hormone levels, that is something I will definitely pursue; maybe even sperm count tests would be helpful. I don’t plan on having kids for another 5-10 years, so will need to figure out my approach as that time comes closer. 

[Nounours]

Your situation is almost identical to mine. I am 25 and have been on fin for almost a year now (in preparation for a HT when international travel allows me to). My hair situation has quietly improved since I started taking it. I think I'll probably end up going down the same route as @PizzaWolf and just stop in the months prior to trying for kids. 

The doctors/HT surgeons who I talked to prior to taking fin all reassured me that there was no evidence to suggest there would be permanent infertility side-effects nor birth defects. Believe me, it was a big worry for me before I started taking it. But the way I see it, if this was a common enough side-effect, it would have been more widely talked/written about (given how long men having been using fin + the number of men on fin including celebs/famous people). Perhaps it is more of a side-effect in theory rather than in reality (without trying to diminish the negative experiences of some men on fin). Then again, I'm no medical expert so my logic here could be very off!

[TorontoMan]

I think it would definitely be wise to come off for at least 3 months before trying, and it wouldn't be detrimental to your hair. I know a guy who took fin for 6 years, and then had two daughters, both healthy 

[DrTBarghouthi]

I have numerous patients on finasteride who ended up blessed with healthy babies. There is no evidence to suggest any infertility issues. Moreover, there is no risk of finasteride being passed to the baby from the father side. Yes it is a big No No for morhers to be on it if they are in a child bearing age. 

[ciaus]

Just don't let your mother-to-be take or handle the pills.

 

Note: Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not use finasteride or handle the crushed or broken tablets. Finasteride can cause birth defects in male babies.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/finasteride-oral-route/description/drg-20063819

[DrTBarghouthi]

3 hours ago, ciaus said:

Just don't let your mother-to-be take or handle the pills.

 

Note: Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not use finasteride or handle the crushed or broken tablets. Finasteride can cause birth defects in male babies.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/finasteride-oral-route/description/drg-20063819

Yes absolutely 

[BDK081522]

I've been on finasteride for 20 years. Stopped it a few months before trying for my first child in 2016. Healthy baby boy. Continued use during conception of my second and third children. All were healthy with no issues at all. Remember to keep the pills far away from mother during pregnancy and breast feeding though.

[Raymond92]

I jus read this article. I v been on finasteride one month. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[j1mmy]

1 hour ago, Raymond92 said:

I jus read this article. I v been on finasteride one month. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Interesting topic, and one I will have to address myself soon. It is obviously a tragic story, though n=1. 1 in 25 babies are born with undescended testicles, so it is a very common defect, if that is what he is describing. 

Ironically, according to his own research, he avoided finasteride 3 months prior, and during the development of the foetus up until 13 weeks. His conclusion would presumably be to not use finasteride at all, or resume finasteride after conception but use a condom.

I do think we would have heard about this more often if it was a thing, though it certainly induces doubts in my mind.

[Curious25]

As tragic a read as this has been, you have to also take into account the source, and factor in that reddit posts are essentially just reddit posts. 

I am not suggesting this story to be true or untrue - it's merely to provide a little perspective, as there are a lot of finasteride users on this forum who may get very upset reading something like this. 

If the statistic provided above is also true that this occurs in 1.1 out of 25 babies, it could equally just be a very unfortunate coincidence. 

Regardless, I think it reinforces the gold standard advice that everyone should adhere to, and discuss this medication with relevant doctors who specifically work in this field - don't just rely on hair transplant surgeons or dermatologists who have no formal or in depth training in endocrinology or urology. 

 

[ciaus]

3 hours ago, Raymond92 said:

I jus read this article. I v been on finasteride one month. What are your thoughts on this?

You posted this over in the drug section too, posting my reply here too.

 

BS. The story sounds like it was written by one of those guys that takes tests or writes papers for money for college kids. All neatly laid out to quash rebuttals, "I checked, "I read, "To be extra safe, etc. But its the ending that really gives it away. 

Who says 'fair enough' when their supposed wife and deformed child leave the next day? And refers to himself  "All because I was a fuckwit"?  After outlining all the careful consulting with doctors, reading up on medical sources and literature, stopping the drug to conceive, being careful about not letting his wife handle it. 

 

To all reading this, there's a vocal minority out there that are fanatically against finasteride and they produce manipulative material like this to get into your head.

 

-------------------

Once I told my partner about this connection, it was all over. She moved out the following day and I haven't seen my son since. Fair enough too, I have exposed him to this horrific drug and caused these terrible birth defects. He will require two orchidopexy operations and the creation of a scrotum from skin grafts. He will be at a higher risk of testicular cancer his whole life and have abnormal looking genitals. All because I was a fuckwit who didn't stop taking Finasteride when my partner was pregnant.