Could Curing Baldness Cause Impotence?

Hair: it’s very important! There is a very real reason that there are hundreds of hair care products, as well as why people are always looking for ways to make hair grow faster. Unfortunately, baldness is a problem that many men–and women–face!

Men usually suffer from baldness, and they are the ones that go to great lengths to treat the problem. You’ll find that many men turn to treatments like Rogaine and Propecia to try to deal with their hair loss, but could treating hair loss cause other problems?

Curing Baldness Can Lead to Sexual Problems

According to WebMD, one of the most commonly used hair loss drugs can actually lead to sexual issues.

Propecia is one of the two FDA-approved drugs to treat hair loss, and it is used by many men due to the fact that it works where Rogaine may not. It is sold in literally EVERY pharmacy around the country, making it highly accessible to all.

However, the main ingredient in Propecia is finasteride. Finasteride is  able to reduce the activity of male hormones, thereby reducing the levels of progesterone that lead to hair loss. While this is great for people try to keep their hair from falling out, it’s not as good for the rest of the body.

Finasteride’s ability to reduce male hormone activity is what makes it such a danger to the male reproductive system. The male reproductive system needs a lot of hormones in order to stay active, with testosterone being the main hormone needed. When the finasteride reduces the male reproductive system’s activity, it reduces the male’s ability to achieve erection.

According to WedMD, erectile dysfunction is a serious threat to those that use Propecia to deal with their baldness. The labels on the bottles of both drugs now are OBLIGATED to give the following warnings:

• Propecia may cause loss of sexual desire, inability to ejaculate, and inability to reach orgasm. These sexual dysfunctions may continue for some time after men stop using the baldness drug.
• Proscar may cause loss of sexual desire. This may continue for some time after men stop using the drug.
• Both Propecia and Proscar may cause male infertility and/or poor semen quality. This side effect lessens or goes away after men stop taking the drugs. [1]

While there may not yet be any definitive proof to link the use of Propecia to low libido, there are enough cases to make the FDA take precautions with the drug.

Even if you stop trying to deal with your baldness, you may find that your libido is still at risk. Finasteride is also the main ingredient in a drug called BPH, one aimed at improving the health of your prostate by–you got it–reducing the activity of your male hormones.

The problem with BPH is that it contains five times the amount of finasteride as Propecia, so you are taking a whole lot more just to deal with your prostate problems. This can lead to more problems, including a reduced sex drive and a lower libido.

The worst part: the side effects can last for a long time even after you stop taking the drug. CNN reported that 96% of men participating in a 2012 survey had sexual problems for up to a year after quitting using Propecia. The survey only examined 54 men, but it’s a big enough case study to make the FDA think twice about recommending Propecia so highly.

Any way you cut it, finasteride leads to problems with your libido, so it may be better just to go bald than risk other in the “downstairs fun time” department.