Can a woman take finasteride for thinning hair?

Post-menopausal women (50% of the feml population) often develop hair loss or diffuse thinning.  Finasteride works well in some of these women; however, when a pre-menopausal woman has this condition, it may not work very well. In addition, pre-menopausal women have significant risks with this drug if they become pregnant so they should not take it with that risk over their head.