TLDR Finasteride effectively reduces hair growth in women with idiopathic hirsutism, but requires careful contraception during treatment.
The study evaluated the long-term efficacy of finasteride in treating idiopathic hirsutism in women. The treatment lasted for 12 months, and the follow-up period lasted for another 12 months. The results showed that finasteride was effective and well-tolerated in long-term treatment of women with idiopathic hirsutism, with a remarkable reduction in hirsutism score after 12 months of treatment. Post-treatment follow-up suggested that drug effects on hair growth were sustained in the majority of subjects with this disorder. The study concluded that 5α-reductase inhibition provides the most rational approach to treatment of hirsutism in women with normal serum androgens, but careful contraception is needed during therapy.
70 citations
,
August 1995 in “Fertility and Sterility” Finasteride reduces hairiness and androgen levels in women with unexplained excessive hair growth.
64 citations
,
June 1995 in “Steroids” Inhibitors of the enzyme 5 alpha-reductase could potentially treat disorders like prostate cancer and baldness.
165 citations
,
February 1994 in “Fertility and Sterility” Flutamide is more effective and has fewer side effects than spironolactone for treating hirsutism.
187 citations
,
January 1994 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Finasteride treats enlarged prostate and may help with baldness, but effects on sexual function and male fetuses are unclear.
55 citations
,
March 1990 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride may treat baldness but less effective for those with 5α-reductase deficiency.
32 citations
,
July 1999 in “Fertility and Sterility” Finasteride and flutamide both reduce hair growth, but finasteride has fewer side effects.
30 citations
,
August 1992 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism” Finasteride doesn't affect hormone levels in normal men.
32 citations
,
January 1990 in “Clinical Endocrinology” Women with female pattern hair loss have higher levels of certain androgens, suggesting increased androgen exposure to hair follicles.
65 citations
,
December 1986 in “The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism”