Removing Your Pubic Hair Is Linked To A Heightened Risk Of STIs

The Question: Does waxing, plucking or shaving your pubic hair come with added risk for sexually transmitted infections?  Yes, according to new research that links the frequency of pubic grooming with the added risk of certain sexually transmitted infections.  The new study, which surveyed 7,580 nationally representative adults across the U.S., finds that people who practice “extreme grooming” ― removing all of their pubic hair more than 11 times per year ― or “high frequency” grooming ― trimming pubic hair daily or weekly ― have a 3.5- to four-fold heightened risk for contracting herpes, HPV and syphilis compared to those who had never groomed their pubes.  But if you tend to grow out your pubic hair a few months out of the year, that doesn’t mean you’re at a lower risk for STIs. The research also found that people who practiced “non-extreme” or “low-frequency” grooming — basically, any level of grooming between zero and 11 ― had double the risk of lice infestation compared to those who never groomed. After controlling for age and number of sexual partners, the researchers determined those who groomed at any frequency had an 80 percent higher risk of having an STI than those who had never groomed at all.  So what gives?  Scientists aren’t sure what exactly is causing the higher risk of STIs in people who groom their pubic hair. They also can’t say whethe...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news