Baldness medication may cause erectile dysfunction

There are two problems no man wants to encounter in his lifetime: baldness and erectile dysfunction. However, the findings of a new study suggest that treating one of these issues may increase one’s risk of developing the other.

Researchers from the Hospital Aleman in Buenos Aires found that Finasteride, a common treatment for male baldness, may increase a man’s chances of experiencing sexual performance problems. The findings may be disheartening to men who were looking to regrow hair in order re-enter the dating world.

For the study, investigators review previous studies that focused on the drug’s ability to regrow hair. While the results showed that the medication is generally effective for stimulating hair growth, researchers found that approximately one out of every 80 patients taking Finasteride reported either erectile dysfunction or sexual disturbance.

However, these problems were not great enough to persuade men to stop taking the medication. “It seems that most men taking this drug really prefer to have hair,” said Jose Manuel Mella, who led the study, told Reuters Health.

Individuals who are taking Finasteride to regrow hair may consider seeking alternate therapies, such as constant resistant rings, for the medication’s potential side effects.