PROPECIAHELP: Persistent Finasteride Propecia Proscar side effects info & discussion forum

This is one test that no one on the forum has gotten yet as i understand and I remember reading here on the forum that a genital skin fibroblast would be capable of accurately determining 5 alpha reductase activity and perhaps also androgen insensitivity. With both these areas receiving so much attention and speculation across the forum it makes sense to try and get such a test done by at least one member of the forum i would think.

I'm not sure what labs are able to perform such a test, i imagine it would probably need to be a special request made on your behalf by a urologist or endocrinologist. Perhaps a patient of one of the more forward thinking doctors, like Dr. Goldstein or Dr. Jacobs could enquire about it.

I believe this test would also point to how neurologically related the problem is...

I will request it in July at my next appointment.

However, i think when someone makes a post about "we should get this test!!" they should be proactive and go get it themselves.... Not saying this to be an ass, but we should be a community of people whom are active - who strive to get things done, not just speculating and guessing. This whole thing has gone on too long. None of us wants to wait till we are 40 to have this be over with.

The following may be of use to convince or show docs how this test is done, that it is possible.

Below, there are numerous examples of how they did genital fibroblast cultures to check for syndromes of androgen insensitivity/resistance, and 5AR2 deficiency. One can also measure 5AR2 activity via certain ratios in the 24-urine panel, as noted in one of the docs below.

If you print this stuff out, highlight relevant passages etc, you should be able to provide enough info to show it is possible. These tests CAN be done, but often are done in research labs so not sure if possible to do commercially... if not, maybe doc can partner with a researcher in androgen metabolism, AIS or professor of andrology/andrologist at a University that has such a lab and could do the investigation.

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Examples of genital skin fibroblast cultures and testing mentioned in following papers:

Syndromes of Androgen Resistance
http://www.biolreprod.org/content/46/2/ ... l.pdf+html

High dose androgen therapy in male pseudohermaphroditism due to 5 alpha-reductase deficiency and disorders of the androgen receptor.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article ... 6-0376.pdf
pg. 2 lists how they did genital fibroblast culture, under "METHODS".

Partial Androgen Resistance Associated with Secondary 5-Reductase Deficiency: Identification of a Novel Qualitative Androgen Receptor Defect and Clinical Implications
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/conten ... t/59/4/679

Evidence for secondary 5 alpha-reductase deficiency in genital and supra-pubic skin of subjects with androgen insensitivity syndrome.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3164158

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TESTING

5AR2 deficiency testing via urine metabolites and ratios
download/file.php?id=258


Genetic testing for mutation etc:

- 5AR2 deficiency: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/GeneT ... =genetests
- AIS: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/GeneT ... =genetests

Doctors who may test for AIS:
http://www.medhelp.org/ais/52_CLINICIANS.HTM#North

Example assays for androgen resistance, using Human Genital Fibroblast Cells
http://iccvam.niehs.nih.gov/docs/endo_d ... 2arbnd.pdf

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I understand where you're coming from, but not everyone is necessarily in a position to be able to get this test. Where i live the labs are not even able to test serum levels of DHT, let alone 3-Adiol G or Genital Skin Fibroblast, otherwise i would be first in line.

I wasn't trying to be a dick and yell at other people to get this test because i'm too cheap or lazy to do it, i was just bringing the topic up for discussion, to hear other peoples opinions on its usefulness and too see if it was possible.

Has anyone done this or is close to doing this?