Propecia for Women

 

You may have heard about the new sensation ‘Propecia’ that has become the talking point with regards to the treatment of baldness in men. If you have read about it and its testimonies, you may have found that men have benefited from Propecia, but at same time it is also mentioned that it is harmful for women and they should stay away from it. And the warnings are very scary! So what is about this product that men benefit from it and women have to keep a mile’s distance?

 

Well, don’t worry, here is the truth you want to know about Propecia.‘Finasteride’ is the chemical name for Propecia which was produced by Merck and FDA gave it a green signal in 1997 for the launch in the U.S. Propecia blocks the process of conversion of a chemical testosterone to another form of ‘testosterone’ which is known as dihydro-testosterone (DHT). Merck found that DHT is found less in hair follicles of a hairy person than on a bald skin and blocks the hair growth. A study was conducted and it was concluded that if this process of conversion of DHT is stopped then hair follicles may start to produce hair again.

So, why should Women be concerned?

When Propecia was tested on some rats in lab, it was observed that it damaged male fetuses causing birth defects. This was seen when a very high quantity of Propecia was given to rats which was about 5 to 5K times more than the dose prescribed for humans. Propecia led to abnormalities in genitalia of the male fetuses when pregnant mother were exposed to Propecia. The very process of transformation from testosterone to the element DHT, which is stopped by Propecia, is required for the formation of male organs. This defect is known as hypospadis. This is the very reason to warn women from being exposed to Propecia. Even a slight over-exposure can damage the male fetus and thus can lead to birth defects.

So, a warning is issued that women should not use it to treat their baldness whether they are pregnant or not. Women are even cautioned against touching the crushed or broken tablets as there are few chances that they may absorb some active ingredients of Propecia. To avoid such circumstances the tablet comes with a coating over it. So, in case the tablet is not broken or crushed, woman will not come in contact with Propecia thus saving her unborn child.

 

So, the bottom line is that it is not that you must keep a mile’s distance from Propecia, but caution is always the best policy.