Having children on propecia

[thejack]

I've been on propecia for a year now and would like to know the exact risks if I wanted to try for a baby. How long is it recommended to come off for? My trichologist, I think said 2 months?? But I'm sure I read somewhere that the risk with propecia was just a myth! If you do have to come off it, would it not only have to be a short period as I thought the half life of the drug was only 2 days or something? Thanks

[CIT_Girl]

Merck's official position is that it's safe to use even while trying to conceive or if your girlfriend/wife does get pregnant. The manufacturer states: "Contact with the semen from a man being treated with PROPECIA is not a risk to the unborn child of a pregnant woman". Women who are pregnant are warned not to handle Propecia, particularly if the pill has been broken or crushed, as contact could potentially cause birth defects in male children. However, there has never been an actual reported case of a birth defect as a result of this.

[CIT_Girl]

To follow that up, I spoke to Dr. Cole about your question and he said, though he would feel comfortable continuing the drug himself, because the stakes are so high, he would never encourage someone not to discontinue use. It's definitely a personal decision you would have to make on your own. He did say that you should be fine going off Propecia for as long as 3-4 months without any adverse effects.

[thejack]

Thanks very much for that, didn't want to lose what I'd kept from propecia if I wanted to have a baby! I'd think about it more at the time but If there were no documented cases I would probably stay on it.

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

I have had many patients over the years that were currently taking Propecia for many years and had healthy children. I have never read or heard of any proven negative effects of a child conceived while the father was taking Propecia.

[thejack]

I am surprised as my trichologist definately said to come off it for a certain amount of time as it was a risk to the baby. I've also seen it mentioned in another forum. But this is great news! Thanks Dr Charles

[Spex]

I have never read or heard of any proven negative effects of a child conceived while the father was taking Propecia.

Likewise - i haven't either. I did extensive research on the subject and met with many guys over the years who conceived whilst on the drug.

I continued the drug and ended up getting my wife pregnant first time round ..with TWINS! - Ouch!

[bigmac]

My son is nearly 5 years old now with no health issues except hayfever and was conceived while i was taking Proscar.

[thejack]

I was going to ask actually is proscar any different as it was not designed to combat hairloss and that was what I started on. I wonder If generations continued to use finasteride would their children evolve to become DHT invincible!!? haha

[bigmac]

Interesting theory,who knows what the future holds.

[KeepTheHair]

Evolution doesn't work that way, at all...


Evolution works by natural selection. If you want a positive trait such as a full head of hair to keep on living you have to only take the genes with that particular genetic mutation. The others have to die out.

What you are proposing is Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's theory of evolution. That is, if a giraffe keeps stretching his neck for several generations it will grow longer. That's not what happened. The animals with the shorter necks died out and the ones more suited to their environment lived on.

It is in our genetics. That's just how it is. Sure we can have a son here and there that won't have the gene and that would not have this gene. But most of the children coming from a bald guy will probably be bald.

[thejack]

I didn't study biology but I've just read a little then. Darwin confessed the theory cannot solely be based on natural selection, and modern scientists have found some examples of Lamarckian evolution. So maybe it could be possible to gradually erase the gene..who knows

[farsanUK]

Likewise - i haven't either. I did extensive research on the subject and met with many guys over the years who conceived whilst on the drug.

I continued the drug and ended up getting my wife pregnant first time round ..with TWINS! - Ouch!

I gues thats the side effect_ double trouble 😂😂