Orchiectomy and Hair Loss

Hello Dr. Rassman,

First off, thank you for your excellent blog, extremely informative!

I am a 37 year old male who has had an orchiectomy (right testicle), which occurred about 1 month ago. So far everything is working out well (aside from fatigue) and I have not had any testosterone replacement therapy at this time. I also have some hair loss, I’d say I am about an early Norwood 3, with no loss at the crown (yet).

My question is this: What can I expect in the way of hair loss at this point? I realize my testosterone levels are lower (503ng/dl), and I’ve taken 1.25 mg of Proscar daily for about 6 months and it seems to have worked quite nicely, but I am still wondering what impact the orchiectomy might have for my hair loss. Will my hair loss advance as rapidly as it would have had the orchiectomy not occurred, or will it possibly stop?

Thanks Doc!

A loss of one testicle will be compensated by the other testicle as it may “rise” to meet the needs of your body. Usually, the remaining testicle will increase testosterone production and this is something you can follow with your doctor through appropriate blood tests. There should be no impact on your hair loss other than what you were destined to lose based upon your genetics.