Finasteride-Associated Male Infertility

January 2004 in “ Revista do Hospital das Clínicas ”

Sidney Glina, Paulo A R Neves, Ricardo Destro Saade, Nelson Rodrigues Netto, Jonathas Borges Soares, Andrea Giannotti Galuppo

finasteride male infertility sperm concentration sperm motility spermatogenesis Propecia

Studysummary The authors reported that young men with infertility-related conditions experienced improved seminal quality after stopping finasteride, suggesting potential adverse effects on fertility during treatment. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

This article discusses three cases of male infertility associated with the use of finasteride, a drug commonly used for hair loss. The patients showed abnormal sperm concentration and motility while using finasteride, but these alterations were completely reversed or improved after the interruption of finasteride treatment. The article suggests that finasteride may not dramatically change the spermatogenesis process in healthy men, but in patients with other problems contributing to infertility, the negative influence of finasteride noted by others might be amplified. Further research is needed to fully understand the impact of finasteride on fertility in humans.

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