Topical alternative to oral finasteride when I'm trying for a baby.

[Polus]

Hello,

I am 36 years old, used finasteride for 9 years and minoxidil for 4 years. They helped me a lot in stopping my hair loss and even improved my situation a little.

6 months ago I stopped treatment because two out of five doctors recommended that I stop taking finasteride to keep sperm quality as good as possible, even though sperm quality was high during finasteride treatment. After 4 months without finasteride, I examined the quality of the semen and the sperm count increased from 65 million / 1ml to 120 million / 1ml, but the morphology dropped from 4% to 1%.
Currently, we want to conceive a child with my wife.

I'm looking for a safe alternative to my current treatment, because my hair falls out quickly. I consider the following solutions to slow down hair loss:
1. Topical finasteride (0.05%-0.1%) with minoxidil 5% in the evening - In this solution, I fear that the wife will absorb some finasteride through the skin when she is touching my hair.
2. Azelaic Acid with minoxidil in the evening- for example Polaris Labs 07. I'm not sure if it really has any anti-androgenic effects?
3. Only minoxidil 5% in the evening. But without any anti-androgen, I think the treatment is hardly meaningful.
4. Give it up

In each solution, I also think about Nizoral 2-3 times a week.

Can anyone recommend which solution will be the best? I am interested only in agents whose ingredients have been approved by the drug agency (American or European)

 

[thedoubter]

Just out of curiosity, how long should you drop finasteride before trying for a baby would you suggest?
That’s on the horizon for me in the next year or so and precautionary I don’t want to be on the drug if I’m trying - even though I hear it shouldn’t cause any issues?

 

[Selb]

Oral minoxidil is powerful enough to sustain you but you’d have to continue it to see gains. Not blocking dht will set you back on the androgen side of things. Maybe you can do a low dose of oral finasteride to minimize the effect on sperm? So maybe 1 mg every three days? Or a daily .25 mg

 

[sonictemples]

Wait why would sperm morphology drop after fina? Shouldn't it be the exact opposite

 

[sonictemples]

I would take at least a month off, just stick to minoxidil and get back on it after conceiving. Any 5ARI is dangerous to male fetuses

 

[crikey1980]

Don't stop finasteride, if the baby's deformed you have the option to terminate during the pregnancy.

 

[jazz1]

I would seek medical advice as the hairloss clinic I used in the past suggested 7 days off prior to trying for a baby, I believe half life is 72 hours.

See here:

https://www.beIgraviacentre.com/blog/can-i-use-minoxidil-for-male-hair-loss-while-trying-for-a-baby/

I use Topical Finasteride from MAA see the thread below:

https://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/threads/topical-minoxidil-finasteride-mixture-check-here.126633/

 

[Capone]

Estrogel and soya protein.

 

[Polus]

Just out of curiosity, how long should you drop finasteride before trying for a baby would you suggest?

Sperm forms 74 days and DHT returns to normal levels approximately 14 days after stopping finasteride. Therefore, it is best to wait at least 3 months after stopping finasteride.

That’s on the horizon for me in the next year or so and precautionary I don’t want to be on the drug if I’m trying - even though I hear it shouldn’t cause any issues?

Yes, the Propecia leaflet says nothing about stopping finasteride when trying to have a baby. Unfortunately, a large number of people in the studies have experienced changes in their semen while taking finasteride. In my case, after discontinuation of finasteride, the sperm count doubled, but the morphology deteriorated significantly - as you can see the effect was significant, although not necessarily better after discontinuation.

Oral minoxidil is powerful enough to sustain you but you’d have to continue it to see gains

I take no chances, because oral minoxidil was discontinued for a reason (pressure and heart problems)

Maybe you can do a low dose of oral finasteride to minimize the effect on sperm? So maybe 1 mg every three days? Or a daily .25 mg

I understand your approach, but want to keep the impact to a minimum.

Wait why would sperm morphology drop after fina? Shouldn't it be the exact opposite

That's right, it doesn't make sense and I don't get it. It should be better, and in terms of morphology it is worse. I did the examination twice after about 3 months. I will probably do one more now (after 6 months).

I would take at least a month off, just stick to minoxidil and get back on it after conceiving. Any 5ARI is dangerous to male fetuses

A month is not enough for spermatogenesis to recover. One month only makes sure that you do not have finasteride in your blood.

I would seek medical advice as the hairloss clinic I used in the past suggested 7 days off prior to trying for a baby, I believe half life is 72 hours.

See quote above.

Estrogel and soya protein.

Estrogel is very well absorbed into the bloodstream and can have a profound effect on the endocrine system.

My goal is:
- use of a topical antiandrogen
- without the risk of an anti-androgen effect on my wife when she touches my hair

That is why I am looking for agents that work locally, and when absorbed into the bloodstream through the skin, they do not have anti-androgenic effects. Maybe I demand too much for today's medecine, but at least I want to try.