Proscar and Pregnancy

Women who are or may be pregnant should not take Proscar or come in contact with crushed or broken Proscar tablets. This is because the combination of Proscar and pregnancy can put the fetus at risk of complications. The U.S. Food and Drug administration classifies Proscar as a pregnancy Category X medication.

 

Is Proscar Safe During Pregnancy?

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

Proscar and 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.
 
Proscar 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 Proscar tablets.
 

Proscar, Pregnancy, and Birth Defects

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

Can Proscar Be Used by My Partner While I Am Pregnant?

It appears that when Proscar is used by the male partner during pregnancy, no problems with the fetus will occur as a result of Proscar. This is based on data that looked at doses up to 120 times the amount of Proscar found in semen. These studies were conducted in monkeys, a species that closely resembles humans when looking at fetal development. As discussed above, if your partner is using Proscar, it is extremely important that you do not touch any broken or crushed Proscar tablets. Unbroken tablets are safe because they have a protective coating.
 
(Proscar and Pregnancy Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;