Category: Uncategorized

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Finasteride – Does it affect spermatogenesis and pregnancy?

This question and answer is taken from the College of Family Physicians of Canada and it accurately addresses the question.

QUESTION: A few women have asked me whether Finasteride, taken by their partners for male pattern baldness, will affect their pregnancies. The product monograph is very alarming: it sounds as if even handling the medication could cause harm, especially to a male fetus. Should a man stop taking Finasteride if his partner is planning pregnancy or is pregnant? What is the risk to the fetus if its mother accidentally handles crushed or broken tablets?

ANSWER: To date, there are no reports of adverse pregnancy outcomes among women exposed to Finasteride. Taking 1 mg of Finasteride daily did not have any clinically significant effect on men’s semen. Absorption through the skin while handling tablets is extremely unlikely to cause fetal exposure or harm. There is no reason to discontinue the drug. Motherisk is currently following up women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy and whose partners are taking Finasteride.

Publication: Finasteride. Does it affect spermatogenesis and pregnancy?

M. Pole and G. Koren
The Full Text of this article is available here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2018472/pdf/11785276.pdf

 

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SMP and Scarring Alopecia

I have lost alot of the hair on the sides of my head due to a form of scarring alopecia. Would it be possible to have micropigmentation done just on the sides as haircuts that are buzzed on the sides and a bit lengthy on top are very common and in style?

Generally, scarring alopecia with balding from it does well with Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP). We have done a few severe cases which I could show you if you visited my office. One particular patient who had very extensive scarring and balding would rather not have his photos online.

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finasteride and kidney disease

Article: https://wjmh.org/DOIx.php?id=10.5534/wjmh.200012

This treatment may result in development of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), insulin resistance (IR), type 2 diabetes (T2DM), dry eye disease, potential kidney dysfunction, among other metabolic dysfunctions. We suggest that long-term use of finasteride and dutasteride may be associated with health risks including NAFLD, IR, T2DM, dry eye disease and potential kidney disease.

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So Could There Be Birth Defects If I Get Someone Pregnant While Taking Finasteride?

Dear dr rassman
I have currently been researching the side effects of Finasteride online, on one site it stated that your sperm while using finasteride may effect your partners health, it was not very clear on the subject, perhaps you could shed some light on this for me?

If my partner was to get pregnant while I was using finasteride is there a chance of birth defect? She is currently using birth control and we are not planing to have another child yet. And I have not started using the drug. If I were using finasteride and wanted to have a child how long would it take to get out of my system to ensure healthy baby development.. Cheers

For personal medical questions, you need to speak with YOUR doctor – don’t just search for information online that can be erroneous or confusing.

In general, as long as your partner is not taking finasteride or handling finasteride herself, there is really no risk of birth defects. You can take finasteride while trying to conceive and there should be no issue. If you are still concerned about it, the simple solution would be to stop taking finasteride.

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Finasteride and suicide

A recent article here: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2772818 suggests that men under 45 who take finasteride, have a higher risk of suicide than control groups.

We have known that there are some complaints of Central Nervous System problems in a few young me who take finasteride. We need a lot more information than is supplied in this article but I have no doubt that if a man is suicidal, then should stop taking finasteride if they are on the drug. It is interesting to note that suicide is the second most common cause of death in men under 45 and that does not include finasteride. How does this information alter the finding in this paper?


2020-11-12 17:08:43Finasteride and suicide

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Some People Prefer the Stubble Look with Real Hair (with Photos)

I believe Dr. Rassman I can shed some light on a recent post. You have answered the question many times in regards to BHT and short cut hair. I agree that it does seem somewhat pointless to shave ones head after recieving a hair transpant however I do understand the logic behind it. With a short cropped haircut (even a #1 clipper shave) you can still see a visible hair line that defines the face much like the tattooing service you are now offering. With a completely shaved head it is not visible.

Many people such as myself would prefer real hair on their head rather than ink although I must admit that the results do look pretty good. None the less body hair is different than scalp but cut short can offer a more realistic illusion of stubble that in this day and age appears acceptable if not attractive. Counter argument it is very expensive for just stubble. Agree?

Why would you bother with body hair transplants (BHT) when you can use your scalp hair? Body hair tends to be texturally different. If you truly want a stubble look with real hair, using Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) with scalp hair extracted with FUE is a good way to accomplish this. On the flip side, patients who’ve had a hair transplant and want the closely cropped look would already have stubble, so SMP is a great option to add the appearance of fullness.

Here’s an FUE patient who had very little restoration work done — under 600 grafts to the front corners — and later decided to shave his head. On the top of his head, the hair is miniaturized so it appears thin and lighter in the picture. The following result shown is immediately after the first SMP session. This will fade slightly as the color sets and the client will return in 3 to 4 days for a touch-up. (Note that because the photo was taken immediately after the SMP session, you can still see some initial redness.)

Before SMP on left; After SMP on right. Click photos to enlarge:

 

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Splitting Daily Finasteride into Two Doses

I’ve been splitting my 1mg min, and taking half in the morning, and the other half at night. Do you think this is a good idea, or should I just take the whole pill once a day?

Either way, it will work. The value of finasteride is in what sticks to the hair follicle stem cells.


2019-02-20 08:52:25Splitting Daily Finasteride into Two Doses

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Could Finasteride Help Prevent Heart Disease If I Take It to Reverse My Balding? (from Reddit)

There is a direct link between people who have crown balding and the development of heart disease. However, this is a genetic association and treating the balding will not stop the heart disease from developing. If you are worried about this, then focus on your diet, daily routines, and get a regular checkup with a doctor to make sure that the heart disease never becomes a problem. Usually, the coronary artery disease that develops in people with crown balding show up later in life.

Could Finasteride Help Prevent Heart Disease? from tressless


2018-09-19 06:13:39Could Finasteride Help Prevent Heart Disease If I Take It to Reverse My Balding? (from Reddit)

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Starting the Drug Finasteride Slowly Over Week, Is That Reasonable?

Can I start building up the dose amount or frequency over time? e.g. I’ve heard of people taking it EOD at first, or of amounts much smaller than 1mg. But I don’t know what’s safe in that regard, or if there’s any point in, say, taking 0.5mg a couple of times a week at first before building up.

Yes, you can start on a single pill (1mg) every fourth day for two weeks, then every third day for two weeks, then every other day for two weeks. If you don’t see any side effects, go directly to one pill every day.


2018-06-21 13:24:17Starting the Drug Finasteride Slowly Over Week, Is That Reasonable?