Responses from ‘Finasteride is a risk in pregnancy’ post

This is my original post:  https://baldingblog.com/finasteride-is-a-risk-in-pregnancy-with-unprotected-sex/

In this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29855987), the women, aged 39, was taking 2.5mg of finasteride daily alongside her partner during the entire gestation period. The male baby was healthy with no deformities of the genitals.

I can’t put it together but I did note the article. The report from the patient indicated that the scrotum and its support structures develop in the male fetus at the end of the first term or beginning of the second term of pregnancy. In this study, the woman only took the finasteride for the first 5 weeks of her pregnancy but her partner appears to have continued using it. Cause an effect is difficult to impossible to pin down in this troubled man.

What about wanting to have a child while on finasteride, should we stop medication? And for how long?

I have to think about this. The half life of finasteride in the blood stream and extracellular fluids is about 6 hours which means it should be out of your fluids in a day or two at most. I also know that it stays in some tissues, possibly everywhere, so I really don’t know any science that informs me how to answer your question. When your partner gets pregnant, you can resume protected sex with no problems and that is absolutely safe.

Well that’s rather concerning. Along with your conclusion, I’m assuming this also means that if you are trying to conceive you should not be on finasteride/dutasteride. Would you agree with that, Dr. Rassman?

I would leave that to you. As I said above: “The half life of finasteride in the blood stream and extracellular fluids is about 6 hours which means it should be out of your fluids in a day or two at most. I also know that it stays in some tissues, possibly everywhere, so I really don’t know any science that informs me how to answer your question.” I am no longer able to think through this problem at this moment.

Isn’t it kind of far fetched to link such statistical ‘tail event’ to the use of finastride in this scenario? The causal link imposed could very well be due to total randomness.

Could be!

I didn’t know this, and my wife is currently 25 weeks pregnant… we used a condom for the most part but I’m still terrified.

Statistically, the odds are in your favor and you should be fine. There are very few reports like the one brought forward by the man I referenced, but for all the men who read this going forward, they should engage in protected sex if they are on finasteride.