Hairloss Study Abstract: Chronic treatment with finasteride daily does not affect spermatogenesis or semen production in young men.

Title
Chronic treatment with finasteride daily does not affect spermatogenesis or semen production in young men.
Author
Overstreet JW; Fuh VL; Gould J; Howards SS; Lieber MM; Hellstrom W; Shapiro S; Carroll P; Corfman RS; Petrou S; Lewis R; Toth P; Shown T; Roy J; Jarow JP; Bonilla J; Jacobsen CA; Wang DZ; Kaufman KD
Address
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Davis, USA.
Source
J Urol, 162(4):1295-300 1999 Oct
Abstract
PURPOSE: Finasteride , an oral type 2, 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, is used in 1 mg. daily doses for the treatment of male pattern hairloss. A dose of 5 mg. finasteride daily reduces ejaculate volume by approximately 25%, and reduces prostate volume by approximately 20% and serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) by approximately 50% in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. To our knowledge no data exist on the effect of 1 mg. finasteride daily on ejaculate volume or other semen parameters, or on the prostate in young men. Therefore, we studied the potential effect and reversibility of effect of 1 mg. finasteride daily on spermatogenesis, semen production, the prostate and serum PSA in young men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this double-blind, placebo controlled multicenter study 181 men 19 to 41 years old were randomized to receive 1 mg. finasteride or placebo for 48 weeks followed by a 60-week off-drug period. Of the 181 men 79 were included in a subset for the collection and analysis of sequential semen samples. RESULTS: There were no significant effects of 1 mg. finasteride on sperm concentration, total sperm per ejaculate, sperm motility or morphology. Ejaculate volume in subjects on finasteride decreased 0.3 ml. (-11%) compared to a decrease of 0.2 ml. (-8%) for placebo, with a median between treatment group difference of -0.03 ml. (1%, 90% confidence interval -10.4 to 13.1, p = 0.915). There were significant but small decreases in prostate volume (-2.6%) and serum PSA (-0.2 ng./ml.) in the finasteride group, which reversed on discontinuation of the drug. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with 1 mg. finasteride daily for 48 weeks did not affect spermatogenesis or semen production in young men. The effects of 1 mg. finasteride daily on prostate volume and serum PSA in young men without benign prostatic hyperplasia were small and reversible on discontinuation of the drug.
Language
Eng
Unique Identifier
99419932

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