I'm a 29F (cis), losing hair for 12 years, 200mg Spiro for most of that. I've been trying to obtain fin/dut for years, asked derms, endos, PCPs, etc. They always dodge the question of why they won't prescribe it and refuse to give a real answer. Spoiler alert, it's because of the teratogenic effects (birth defects). Male fetuses need androgens to develop properly. (It's unclear why Spiro is cool but fin is not).

I don't want children. I have an IUD. Nor do I want to be on such a high dose of Spiro going into my 30s. I am not comfortable nuking my testosterone for the rest of my life, plus my hair loss hasn't even stopped. I know I could just DIY or pay a balding male friend to do a telehealth call for me –– but call me old fashioned, I prefer to take my prescribed drugs under the supervision of a doctor.

I went to a new derm recently, armed with data, trick questions and gotchas. I was pleasantly shocked when she informed me their hair specialist apparently has "lots of female patients" on fin, and didn't see any reason why she wouldn't be willing to prescribe it to me. It's been a few years since I last asked and I know it's becoming more common to prescribe to women, so I figured I lucked out!

I went home with a prescription for 1.25mg oral min and a 2 month follow up appointment with the hair specialist, who she predicted would likely double the min dosage and possibly prescribe additional treatments. Since then, I've had no side effects on the min, but no effects period lol.

Well the follow up was today, and right off the bat the doctor says, "I don't prescribe fin because it's teratogenic... and there's an increased breast cancer risk. Well, we don't actually know if there is. There isn't really any data. But there COULD be an increased breast cancer risk.... In pre-menopausal women." OK so the VAST majority of breast cancer cases are post-menopausal women, but you're telling me it's totally safe for THEM to take finasteride? This cancer risk ONLY occurs in women capable of getting pregnant? Lmao whatever bro.

Next she says, PRP is your best option – you should go for 4-6 sessions in your first year. I countered with price. (I could theoretically afford it, I just don't want to drop 10k on it when I HAVEN'T EVEN TRIED THE GOLD STANDARD TREATMENT yet). So she says "what about vitamins"? I'm like, yes I get my iron and D tested every year, just like every other person who goes to the doctor regularly. Does she think I've been losing my hair for 12 years and never thought once to check my iron / D??

So I ask will she at least increase the oral minox dose? She says it's a bad idea because anything higher will likely cause permanent facial hair growth.

So then she asks me, have you thought about trying Nutrafol/Viviscal or another supplement?? The active ingredient is Saw Palmetto!! It works via the same mechanism as fin, but it's not teratogenic and it's nATuRaL!! I questioned her, "if it works the same way as fin but it's not teratogenic, then how can it possibly be effective?" she said "Well........... yeah, it's a lot weaker."

Does this bitch think I'm stupid???????? Saw FUCKING palmetto?? For a woman with normal T levels Who started losing hair at 17 years old, and continues to on the maximum dose of a powerful antiandrogen? Then she was like, "sorryyy, hang in there!!" Cool beans

So my options now are to DIY, which terrifies me, or straight up get my tubes tied. I might actually be old enough to get away with that and lord knows it'll be cheaper than PRP. It's so frustrating that I have to center my life around this hypothetical fetus.