Finasteride Delays the Onset of Maternal Behavior in Primigravid Rats
July 2006
in “
Physiology & Behavior
”
TLDR Finasteride slows down motherly behavior in first-time pregnant rats.
The study investigated the effect of finasteride, a drug used to treat hair loss, on maternal behavior in primigravid rats. The results showed that finasteride delayed the onset of maternal behavior and increased anxiety-like behaviors in rats. The study suggests that progesterone plays a role in inhibiting maternal behavior, but it is unknown which specific progesterone receptors are involved. The conversion of progesterone to allopregnanolone is unlikely to underlie progesterone's inhibitory actions on maternal behavior. The study was supported by NIH grants.