Propecia and Pregnancy

Not only should pregnant women not take Propecia, but they should also not touch broken or crushed Propecia tablets. Based on its risks to the unborn fetus, the medication is considered a pregnancy Category X drug. This classification is based on the results of animal studies on Propecia. The classification can also be assigned to medicines that show problems to the fetus in humans who have mistakenly taken the medicine.

Propecia Information

Is Propecia Safe During Pregnancy?

For women who are pregnant, Propecia^® (finasteride) is very dangerous. This is based on animal studies that looked at the effects of Propecia during pregnancy. Propecia has been given a pregnancy Category X classification based on its risks to the unborn fetus.

Pregnancy Category X

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a pregnancy category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category X is given to medicines that show problems to the fetus in animal studies or in humans who have mistakenly taken the medicine. The use of a pregnancy Category X medicine during pregnancy is not recommended.

Propecia should not be used in women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. In fact, women who are or may be pregnant should not touch broken or crushed Propecia tablets.

Pregnancy, Propecia, and Birth Defects

Propecia works by blocking the conversion of testosterone into DHT (dihydrotestosterone), thereby decreasing the amount of DHT in the body. Since DHT is important for male genital development, if it taken during pregnancy, Propecia may cause abnormalities to the external genitals of a male fetus.

(Propecia and Pregnancy Continued: Page 2)