Trying to have a baby while on finasteride

[hydrocynus]

Hello, I am 40 and I have been taking Finasteride 1mg/day for three years to stop my hair thinning (rather than hairloss). I aslo use Sebiprox 1.5% shampoo to take care of my scalp (instead of Nizoral).

The treatment is definitely effective for me: My hair is much thicker, but my hairloss seems to still be the same (about 50-100 hair lost per day). It seems that I have a short hair life cycle (according to my dermatologist). Overall I am satisfied with my hair treatment.

As a few (many) of you, I do have side effects linked to taking the drug. These side effects were gradual: morning erections are now something of the past, watery and low volume semen is obvious. I also have a loss of penile sensitivity. My libido however still is the same (maybe enhanced actually).
The reason I did not see the side effects of the drug showing up was because I was without a partner for 1.5 years while on finasteride. I did masturbate every day several times, but since I can retro ejaculate, I never noticed the watery and low sperm volume problem.

I now, am with a new partner in life (42 years old) and we are thinking having a baby. We both have children from our past marriages. It seems that we are having difficulties to conceive even though we can have sex as much as 10 times a day (I am a lucky guy).

Both of us are very fit and eat balance and healthy food. We might have to get a fertility test done.

I have reduced my dosage from 1mg to 0.5 mg finasteride for about a week. Nothing changed really for now.

Here are my questions: In the case my new partner gets pregnant:
1- would topical spironolactone have adverse effects on the baby development? Let's say that my partner touches my hair and then her private parts?

2- I know there are several home recipes about making your own topical finasteride. Would the statement above have some adverse effects on the fetus development?

3- Since I still am on finasteride (0.5mg a day), would ejaculating in my partner (mouth, vagina or whatever) affect the fetus development?

Finasteride is a nasty drug. So, I might just stop taking it. I like my hair, but I think that I like my sex drive better and certainly I am concerned about having problems with conceiving and fetus development.

Thanks for reading, answering and sharing your experience with me.

 

[Charlie5]

Yeah I have the same short hair cycle problem on finasteride.

 

[optimus prime]

I would not worry about finasteride affecting the fetus. That will only be an issue if your wife touches or takes the Propecia pill.

I would worry about being able to get her pregnant. While many guys have fathered while taking Propecia, it may be harder with watery semen. The sperm count may/may not be effected. Even so, I have read that the semen protects the sperm so it can fertilise the egg. With watery semen this makes it much harder to fertilise the egg.

I also plan to get my wife preggy soon, I have stopped taking Propecia. The semen can take over a year to thicken up, so I suggest stopping asap.

 

[Wuffer]

I have only seen one study of two guys that indicated sperm quantity and/or quality was reduced while taking Finasteride. This was completely reverable around a month after discontinuing in both cases.

I wouldn't be surprised if Finasteride had SOME marginal or insignificant effect on sperm quantity and/or quality in the average guy, but I can't imagine it being so detrimental that you could not conceive. If finasteride had such a pronounced effect on conception even in rare cases, you would have heard about it by now and it would be on the product insert.

That being said, get your sperm count checked. It may not even be your problem, it could be your partner. Millions and millions of people have problems conceiving, so don't assume you both are perfect that Finasteride would be the only thing stopping you. If you are serious about having kids, talk to your doctor(s), follow conception recommendations and get tested if you continue to have problems.

Best of luck

 

[hydrocynus]

There are plenty of reports and ongoing studies showing the sometimes reversible and sometimes irreversible effects of finasteride.
I have lowered my finast intake to 0.5 mg a day for three months with noticeable improvements in my semen (more volume, ticker) and erections (much harder, much longer, much easier to get in the mood, more feeling).
I am completely off the drug for about a week now. I did not want to stop too abruptly.

I do not seem to have lost more hair than usual. However, I do start to have again seborrheic dermatitis and a bit greasier scalp. So, the anti DHT is definitely wearing off. My hair is as thick as usual but I expect to have it getting thin and curlier again.

There is no way I am getting back on finasteride orally. I might try the topical finasteride later if we actually get a baby. Still no pregnancy. A microscopic exam of my sperm shows good density and motility with a few non motile or not very motile sperm. My problem is more linked to the volume of the ejaculate and the fact that it is watery and does not stick well to the vaginal wall. Plus, my wife being 42 complicates the chances of being pregnant (and this goes down by the day now).

I will keep you guys updated. My goal when I was 16 was to get a full head of hair by 40. I have met my goal. I am ready to be bald if it happens now. I have a wonderful wife and I am in great shape. That is all that counts after all.

Cheers!

 

[ding30]

^^ topic finasteride? please explain! I didn't know there was such a thing?

 

[optimus prime]

Still no pregnancy. A microscopic exam of my sperm shows good density and motility with a few non motile or not very motile sperm. My problem is more linked to the volume of the ejaculate and the fact that it is watery and does not stick well to the vaginal wall.

The exact same as me. Sperm is fine, just not enough semen. Hang in there, it can take few months to thicken up.

RU58441 might be an option. It does not affect the sperm because it is topical. I am starting next week.

 

[ajax]

I'm a bit confussed about some of the info in this thread.

Someone said you should stop taking finasteride the moment your wife gets pregnant, but what about the fact you were taking when the bay was conceived? Isn't that a bad thing, or is it only once the featus is formed that finasteride can cause problems?

I'm interested as also thinking of starting a family in the not too dostant future and am on finasteride. I always presumed I'd need to stop taking finasteride whilst trying for a baby to protect the featus at conception?

 

[tsiroutraw]

Id really like to know how finasteride affects reproduction. Does it have an impact on the quality of the baby?

 

[hydrocynus]

Hi all,
Happy new hairs.

I thought I would give an update. After stopping taking finasteride for about 6 months I can say that all went back to quite normal.

Sperm is not longer watery looking. It is thick and white, volume seems to be a bit less than before, but it could be the aging process (I was 36 years old when I started taking 1mg finast a day 4 years ago).

Morning or night erections are back (although not as much as before). Sex is DEFINITELY better. More penile sensitivity. I am rediscovering sex.

Still no pregnancy, but still trying though. She is 41 now and we know the chances are getting slimmer.

Hair: It is thinning but not much. And believe it or not, after I stopped taking topical spironolactone (S5 cream), I have much less hairloss. Not sure why.
I assume I will gradually loose my gains with finast, but it is not a dramatic hairloss. My hair will also likely be of a thinner caliber. Oh well,it does not matter.

For you guys thinking about taking finasteride. Please, think twice. Lots of evidence now that this hormonal treatment has a lot of side effects. Reason why a lot of doctors do not prescribe it. I definitely REGRET I EVER took it.

I will never mess up with hormones again. NO WAY.

Rago.

 

[Brasileirao]

I've been on it since 2004, going on 7 years. I've recently thought about stopping it although it's done wonders for my hair. My semen has thinned out, morning wood gone and while I can still get an erection it's for sure not as hard. I also noticed that I have become more sensitive, seem to get more emotional as of late.

The big difference in all of this is that I stopped working out. I think when I was lifting weights it was helping with my testosterone levels which balances everything out. I'm going to resume lifting weights to see if it makes a difference. But I'm for sure thinking about stopping.

Anyone return to normal after 7+ years and stopping?

 

[hydrocynus]

I would just stop taking Finasteride.

There are two types of men: Some with hair and some without. Women do not care much and I surely like to have better sex with good hard erections and lots of white semen than hairs. My wife surely does not care and enjoys the greater sex.

Cheers.