BALLSY DECISION

For some men, treating hair loss comes with fertility issues

- T.M. BROWN

Soon after Will Stone and his wife, Brittany, got married in 2021, they started trying to have a baby. But early attempts didn't pan out, and by the next year, they went in for testing.

Brittany Stone's results came back normal. But Will Stone's were more disappointing.

His sperm count was about 2 million per millilitre, far below the 10 million threshold his doctor told him was optimal for the couple to try intrauterine insemination, or IUI. He was referred to a urologist, who asked what medications he was taking.

When Stone, a US data analyst in Austin, Texas, mentioned he took a 1mg dose of finasteride, a daily pill for hair loss, the urologist interrupted him.

"He told me to stop taking it immediately," Stone, now 32, said.

Finasteride, sometimes sold as Propecia, is the most widely used prescription medicine for male-pattern baldness. Prescriptions have reportedly tripled in recent years alongside the rise of direct-to-consumer telehealth companies popular among young men.

For many, the medication comes with no issues and can provide newfound confidence, but it does carry side effects. Stone had known there was a small possibility of reduced libido and erectile dysfunction (between 1% and 2%), but he didn't know that the drug might be linked to his fertility struggles.