At this point, we should mention the other problem. The standard treatment for male pattern baldness has been through extensive clinical trials. That's why we can say, with the usual certainty, that the drug is effective. It works by preventing the change of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, i.e. it changes the way in which the male hormone system works. It's a sad fact of life that if you mess with the hormones, it can affect the sex. So, for better or worse, here come a few distressing statistics. Just over 1% of men going through the trials suffered erectile dysfunction, but up to 7% experienced some problems with ejaculation. In some, this was a volume thing, i.e. less came out which is not so bad if you don't want children. Think of it as being a kind of male birth control pill. In others, there was some muscular discomfort. Only one or two men had any real pain during sex or in their testicles while "at rest".
This is not to say that Propecia is unsafe or dangerous in any real way. In fact, it's also a highly effective treatment to prevent tumors in the prostate from growing into something dangerous. So, if you do start taking it, you will be safe from anything too heavy appearing in your groin. But you have to face the possibility of a terrible choice. To keep your hair and the chance of seeing some hair grow back, or to find sex difficult, including the possibility of not producing enough sperm to become a father. As the title to the article says, if you want the looks, it can be a shame about the sex. In this, Propecia is no worse than several other drugs that have erectile dysfunction as a possible side effect. In fact, the percentage of men actually affected by sexual difficulties is reasonably small. But it is something you may have to face. Fortunately, this side effect from Propecia is purely temporary. A month or so after stopping, you will be back to normal, except your hair will start falling again.
