Men's Journal

Q I’ve been taking Propecia for 13 years and just heard it can make some men infertile. Now that I’m ready to have kids, should I be worried?

A There’s some cause for concern. Propecia’s active ingredient, finasteride, allows the body to grow hair by preventing testosterone from being converted into dihydrotestosterone. The problem is that lack of dihydrotestosterone may cause sexual side effects. For one thing, some men complain they have trouble getting an erection. Studies also show a decrease in amount of semen and sexual desire in men. One thing you can do is switch to Rogaine, which uses minoxidil to stimulate hair follicles without risk of losing your mojo. Or you can look at it this way: If your wife wants to have kids with you, chances are she loves you enough at this point that she won’t care if you’re bald.

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Email your questions for Dr. Bob Arnot to dr.bob@mensjournal.com.

This article originally appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Men’s Journal.