The Belgravia Centre Blog

Name: Mustapha

Question: I would like some advice as I have been taking the Propecia for a month now and have experienced some side effects such as a slight decrease in libido and semen not being as thick as it was previously. I am a happily married with children and have not in the past had any issues with libido.

Are these side effects something that I should be concerned about and therefore stop taking this drug or are these minor side effects that should decease after my body becomes used to the drug? My real concern and worry is, will taking Propecia have a damaging affect sperm morphology and limit my ability to have more children?

Answer: It would not be advisable to stop the treatment just yet. The side effects of Propecia, such as the ones you mentioned, are rare (less than 2%) and diminish with continued use. Propecia has not been found to cause fertility issue, or affect sperm quality.

In the clinical studies that proved Propecia to be safe and effective for the treatment of hair loss in men, all side effects disappeared in men who stopped the treatment, and by the end of the study, the incidence of those side effects was less than 0.3% in men who continued treatment.

Decreased semen volume may equate to decreased sperm count, but this effect reverses after the medication has left the body. Propecia should not be used when attempting to conceive, which is why we advise users to stop a week before trying for a baby. Propecia has a very short half-life, which means is will be out of your system seven days once you stop taking it. Most of the men involved in the clinical trials of Propecia were of childbearing age (18-41) and there have been no reports of fertility issues among them, or our own clients.

Further Reading:
Long-term Safety of Propecia
Propecia and DHT in Adult Males
Propecia Success Stories – How to Get Better Results