My Husband Took Propecia for 8 Years and Now We Want to Get Pregnant
My husband has taken Propecia for hair loss for 8 years and I am concerned about his sperm count because we want to get pregnant. How long does it take to leave the body? Is there a danger to the fetus? Does it cause fertility problems? I am very concerned and wish he never took this drug.
In general, men can continue to take Propecia while trying to conceive. This is safe and there should not be a danger to the fetus. However, in my practice I generally advise men to stop taking Propecia for the two week mid-cycle so that there can be no question as to the safety issue and to put the patient’s mind at ease. Propecia is out of the blood stream within 24 hours and out of the tissue in a few days.
The most important part to this is to talk with your doctor and discuss these concerns with them.
TO address sperm parameters related to fertilty, the following study (full article freely available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17299062) was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial in 99 healthy men randomly assigned to receive dutasteride (0.5 mg) (n = 33), finasteride (5 mg) (n = 34), or placebo (n = 32) once daily for 1 yr. In both treatment groups, total sperm count, compared with baseline, was significantly decreased at 26 wk (dutasteride, -28.6%; finasteride, -34.3%) but not at 52 wk or the 24-wk follow-up. At 52 wk, semen volume was significantly decreased for dutasteride. There was a significant reduction of -6 to 12% in sperm motility during treatment with both dutasteride and finasteride and at follow-up. Neither treatment had any effect on sperm morphology. This study concluded that the decrease in DHT induced by 5ARIs was associated with mild decreases in semen parameters that appear reversible after discontinuation.
Can you elaborate on “Neither treatment had any effect on sperm morphology”. In common terms, what does this mean?
thanks!