Conflicted About My Diagnosis

A couple of months ago, I began to notice the top of my scalp more prominently after getting out of the shower. Not balding per se, but certainly thinning. I finally went to see a PCP (who took a thorough history and performed the hair pull test) and he felt it was Telogen Effluvium and not MPB, but that we should give it six months and reevaluate then with a blood panel to determine DHT levels before prescribing Proscar.

I’m conflicted about this diagnosis. I did admit I had been feeling some anxiety lately, since my wife and I are expecting our first child in November, and that the stress may be triggering the TE. But on the other side of the debate, my father started experiencing his MPB around my age (my mother’s father left this earth at 90 with a full head of hair, however).

Is this a common approach for a PCP to take?Should I get a second opinion, possibly from a specialist, or should I attempt to be an adult and patiently wait the six months?

Thanks in advance for your time.

I would recommend that you get a second opinion about your hair loss and in that second opinion, I would get your scalp mapped out for miniaturization, which will show if it is genetic balding as seen in your family line. A hair specialist and dermatologist are in a better position to diagnose your hair loss than your primary care physician, because they see men with the balding process all of the time. Assuming that you do have genetic hair loss, the earlier you get on Propecia, the faster you can save your hair. Time is of the essence and the stress of fatherhood may be a precipitating factor.