Can Women Take DHT Blockers for Hair Loss? Benefits & Risks

Key takeaways

• Can women take a DHT blocker? DHT can play a role in hair loss in women, but these women are carefully selected based on a professional specialist assessment. Most women recommended to take DHT blockers will be post-menopausal.
  
• How do DHT blockers work? Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blockers work by preventing testosterone from being converted to DHT, which has been shown to cause pattern baldness in people who are genetically susceptible.
  
• When do specialists consider finasteride or dutasteride treatment for women? It can be a consideration if it is confirmed that you have female pattern hair loss and other treatments have not provided much benefit. 
  
• Are there any safety precautions? Under no circumstances should you take finasteride or dutasteride while pregnant or planning to become pregnant. They both interfere with the development of the external genitalia of a male foetus, and they have very specific warnings against their use in pregnant women. 
  
• What results can I expect from DHT blocker treatment? Most research has assessed treatment responses over at least 6 months. The results of these studies show that they are effective in helping to prevent further hair thinning and stabilising the hairline where it is currently at. 
  
• Is it a first-line treatment for female pattern hair loss? For women, we normally start out by using minoxidil as a first line medical treatment for pattern hair loss. Sometimes women can be treated with medicines that reduce the level of DHT in the body, but these treatments are for specific circumstances and are not recommended for every woman. 

In the UK, for example, finasteride and dutasteride, the main DHT blocking medications, are not currently licensed for use in female pattern hair loss. It can still be prescribed by a specialist for this purpose after they carefully consider the benefits and risks to you.

This is what’s called an ‘off-label’ prescription–when a medication is being used for a purpose other than what it has received its primary approval for.^1,2

What Are DHT Blockers?

First of all, dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, is a hormone made when an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase attaches to testosterone and changes its form.

DHT blockers are a group of medicines that act to block this enzyme from forming dihydrotestosterone, or DHT. 

Dihydrotestosterone has been shown to cause pattern hair loss in susceptible people when it attaches to hair follicles and makes them shrink under its influence.

“Finasteride and Dutasteride are great medications at preventing the production of DHT and its effect on thinning hair. However, in women, the consideration to take these medications is nuanced and requires careful counselling and evaluation.”

Dr Roshan Vara, Co-Founder and Hair Transplant Surgeon at The Treatment Rooms London

Can Women Take DHT Blockers?

DHT blockers like finasteride and dutasteride are generally not recommended for women. They can still be prescribed for women, but only under the careful guidance of a professional doctor. Before it is prescribed, you will also need to be formally diagnosed with female pattern hair loss.³

When might a specialist consider treatment?

A specialist usually considers treatment with a DHT blocker if a woman is post menopausal. This reduces the risk of harm, which is mainly centred on pregnancy and the growing foetus. 

What changes before and after menopause?

Pattern hair loss in women tends to accelerate around menopause. Current evidence suggests that this is because the balance of oestrogens to androgens changes.

The direct link between male-like hormones (androgens) and pattern hair loss in women is still being researched,⁴ however, what we know is that androgen lowering medications like DHT blockers can improve pattern hair loss in women.⁵

What if you are pregnant, planning pregnancy, or breastfeeding?

If you are pregnant, planning to be pregnant, or breastfeeding, then the information is clear. You MUST avoid DHT blockers such as finasteride or dutasteride.

This means you should also avoid handling crushed or broken finasteride or dutasteride tablets, as they can be absorbed through the skin and still cause damage to a developing male foetus. 

How Do DHT Blockers Work?

DHT blockers work by reducing the activity of a certain enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. When this enzyme is reduced or stopped, it cannot carry out its normal job of creating DHT from testosterone. The lower levels of DHT are what lead to reduced pattern hair loss in those people who are genetically predisposed to the condition. 

DHT doesn’t have the same impact on everyone’s hair or even on every hair in your own head. Some hair follicles, because of the way they are structured make them more likely to undergo shrinkage and cause pattern hair loss when they come into contact with DHT. 

Do DHT Blockers Work for Female Hair Loss?

Studies have shown that Finasteride can be effective for treating female pattern hair loss. Most recently, they have shown there was a significant improvement in a majority of women who took these medications.^5,6

Photographs were taken of the women’s hair before and after to determine any changes, with the result being compared on the Ludwig scale: a common visual tool to help understand the extent of hair loss in women. 

What they also discovered is that finasteride has a better effect on hair growth when the patient has a lower Ludwig score at the start of treatment and an older age at the first onset of hair loss. 

How Are DHT Blockers Used in Women?

An optimal dose for DHT blockers in suitable women has not been fully established yet. It can be taken in tablet form or applied topically, directly to the scalp. Studies to date for finasteride have tested doses ranging from 1mg to 5mg a day in tablet form. Others have looked at the topical gel and spray forms.⁷

The decision of dosage will rest with your prescribing doctor, who will usually recommend an amount based on their clinical experience. As new hair can take time to grow, any results you see will usually take months to appear. Based on our experience, this is usually around 6 months or more. 

Treatment has to be continued consistently if you are to see any changes. If you discontinue use, then your hair will likely return to how it was pre-treatment.  

What Are the Side Effects and Risks?

The exact side effects and risks will depend on the medication that you have been prescribed.  The most common side effects you might experience with these medications include: 

• Headache 
  
• Dizziness
  
• Menstrual irregularities (if pre menopausal)
  
• Increased body hair growth
  
• Breast tenderness and swelling

The main risks are to the developing fetus if a woman is of childbearing age. For this reason, it is usually only prescribed if you are post menopausal.

If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, then you should avoid all contact with finasteride or dutasteride, including handling crushed or broken tablets. These can all pose a risk to the early development of young males.¹

How Do DHT Blockers Compare With Other Treatments?

DHT blockers still remain a secondary consideration. Other treatments such as minoxidil are usually the best first choice.

Minoxidil already has strong established evidence of benefit and carries lower risk than DHT blockers such as finasteride and dutasteride. Minoxidil can also be purchased over the counter for use, whereas DHT blockers will need a specialist assessment and prescription.

Other Ways to Manage Hair Loss

Other treatment options if you are looking to treat your hair loss as a woman without medications include:⁸

1. Wigs and hair pieces: Wigs, toupees and hair pieces can be a great way to disguise female pattern baldness. These can even be made from real hair, which gives them a very natural appearance.
   
2. Skin camouflage: Scalp micropigmentation and sprays that contain small pigmented fibres can help disguise areas of hair loss such as crown thinning or a widening hair parting and help reduce the visibility of the contrast between the scalp and your natural hair.

Can Women With Hair Loss Have a Hair Transplant?

Yes, it is possible. First, however, you will need a thorough assessment and a confirmation that female pattern baldness is the cause of your hair loss. Your doctor will be able to assess whether you are a good candidate for a hair transplant. 

This will mainly depend on whether you have enough donor hair that can be taken from the back of your scalp and offer good coverage to the thinning areas. They will also have to establish if your hair loss is still spreading or has remained relatively stable over time. 

Conclusion

Some women may receive treatment with DHT blockers, but finasteride and dutasteride are not considered routine treatments for female pattern hair loss in the UK. 

There are other options on the market that are much more established, such as minoxidil. With DHT blockers, you must be extra cautious with the risk they pose to a developing male foetus, and they should be avoided if you are of child-bearing age.

If you are worried about your hair loss or have noticed other symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, scalp redness, itching, tenderness, or pus-filled spots on your scalp, then the next best step is to see your GP or dermatologist to make sure the hair loss isn’t being caused by an underlying disease. 

References

1. Organon Pharma (UK) Ltd. Propecia 1 mg Film-Coated Tablets: Summary of Product Characteristics. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Updated 14 July 2026.
   
2. Strides Pharma UK Ltd. Dutasteride 0.5 mg Capsules, Soft: Summary of Product Characteristics. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Updated 15 May 2026.
   
3. NHS. Who can and cannot take finasteride [Internet]. 2023 Aug 2 [cited 2026 Sep 17]. Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/finasteride/who-can-and-cannot-take-finasteride/ 
   
4. Fabbrocini G, Cantelli M, Masarà A, Annunziata MC, Marasca C, Cacciapuoti S. Female pattern hair loss: a clinical, pathophysiologic, and therapeutic review. Int J Womens Dermatol. 2018;4(4):203-211. doi:10.1016/j.ijwd.2018.05.001. 
   
5. Won Y, Lew B, Sim W. Clinical efficacy of oral administration of finasteride at a dose of 2.5 mg/day in women with female pattern hair loss. Dermatologic Therapy. 2018;31. doi:10.1111/dth.12588 
   
6. Oliveira-Soares R, Maia e Silva J, Peres Correia M, André MC. Finasteride 5 mg/day treatment of patterned hair loss in normo-androgenetic postmenopausal women. Int J Trichology. 2013;5(1):22-25. doi:10.4103/0974-7753.114709. 
   
7. Gupta AK, Talukder M. Topical finasteride for male and female pattern hair loss: Is it a safe and effective alternative?. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2022;21:1841 – 1848. doi:10.1111/jocd.14895 
   
8. British Association of Dermatologists. Hair loss – female pattern (androgenetic alopecia) [Internet]. London: British Association of Dermatologists; 2012 [updated 2024 Oct; cited 2026 Sep 17]. Available from: https://www.bad.org.uk/pils/hair-loss-female-pattern-androgenetic-alopecia