Regular Member petergibbons Posted January 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted January 23, 2010 For a brief time in August of last year, my wife was agonizing about propecia since we decided to start a family. Just to be on the safe side I went to a fertility doctor. Now we're both educated at the graduate level so the whole paranoia about a woman touching propecia is somewhat ridiculous to us. At any rate, I got my sperm analysis and my motility was 18% (Ideal > 25%) and morphology was 9%. I was told that IVF would be our only option and the doctor reiterated that I should not quit finasteride because I have invested so much in my hair. Needless to say, we got pregnant shortly thereafter. I read many many studies and there are no documented cases of birth defects from propecia in humans in the western world. Moreover, the amount of finasteride in ejaculate is tiny in comparison to the amount of diesel fuel, dust, and other nasties that are far more dangerous to a developing fetus. I want you to know that you are safe taking finasteride. If you're worried about loss of libido, you can always take viagra. 25mg every other day and you can have the most spontaneous sex imaginable. I haven't even needed it and I take finasteride PLUS an SSRI, so I should be completely limp, yet I am not, and my wife is 12 weeks pregnant and we're excited about our child. So to quote Peter Gabriel "Don't give up" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Sparky Posted January 23, 2010 Senior Member Share Posted January 23, 2010 I'm worried about this, so I've moved onto saw palmetto whislt we are trying to concieve. My Hairloss Website http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=2198 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member bighosedragger Posted January 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted January 23, 2010 Great information! I hope it put some people at ease about propecia. So many people are afraid of finasteride and I just don't understand it. I believe because of the negative hype that so many men continue to lose thier hair which otherwise could have been saved! My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Paul Shapiro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member petergibbons Posted January 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 24, 2010 Sparky, you really don't have to. If it worries you, get a sperm analysis (about $95). If you don't like the numbers, you may try going off finasteride maybe for a few days. Remember, getting pregnant only happens a few days a month. There are so many things other than finasteride that can affect sperm, and you'll be surprised. If your wife is worried about being exposed to it, tell her not to mess with your stash I'm not knowledgeable of the efficacy of saw palmetto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member petergibbons Posted January 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 24, 2010 bighosedragger -- hey I took Viagra when I was 21 (1998) and had no problems with it. Ended up not needing it in 2003 when I met my wife Pharmaceuticals help most people. The only reason to get onto herbal meds is if you are trying to pass an FAA medical, which I was able to do recently by switching to St. Johns Wort temporarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member JimJohnson Posted January 24, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted January 24, 2010 So your sperm quality was so low WHILE on propecia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Sparky Posted January 24, 2010 Senior Member Share Posted January 24, 2010 We worked out when she ovulates, so we are doing it every other day before and after that. My Hairloss Website http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=2198 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member petergibbons Posted January 25, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 25, 2010 My motility was lower than normal and my morphology was slightly off nominal. However, this is more likely due to the fact that I took Lexapro and work at a gov't research lab in close proximity to microwave sources. Interestingly enough, my sperm count was at least 175% of normal which means my body may have adjusteted. When I started taking propecia I was not taking the SSRI but I was taking Tegretol XR200 which has been known to affect libido, so there were too many variables. I am contemplating going off the SSRI so that I can get the FAA in Oklahoma city to approve me to fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member drmstx Posted January 28, 2010 Senior Member Share Posted January 28, 2010 Personally, I would not take any chances with my future baby. The possibility of birth-defects is a risk too big to take for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Megatron Posted January 29, 2010 Senior Member Share Posted January 29, 2010 same deal with me...I was on propecia for several years before trying to have a kid. my sperm motility was below normal and so I had to go off propecia in order to conceive. there was a noticeable improvement when I went off of it. I've got my 2nd kid on the way now so I'm back on it. My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Simmons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member JimJohnson Posted January 29, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted January 29, 2010 pretty much everyone who made a sperm test while on propecia had below average sperm counts/mobility. Yeah right, propecia has no effect on sperm quality. Dream on, merck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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