A prickly question: how often is too often to shave your pubic hair?

Are you a trimmer? A shaver? A cutter? A plucker? Are you one of those hippy superstars that let’s their hair just ‘do its thang’?

When it comes to pubic hair, there’s no right or wrong. (Not stylistically, of course.)

But when it comes to sexual health, our grooming habits could be causing a few of us some trouble without even realising it.

Monique Bowley deep dives into the enigmatic world of pubic hair, piercings and alcohol with Jessie Stephens and Luca Lavigne. Post continues after audio…

Shaving your pubic hair might be a one-way ticket to an STI. Now, before you ‘shavers’ freak out, there’s a silver lining: removing pubic hair does cast away other sexual issues such as lice. So there’s that.

However, a recent study at the University of California – San Francisco has suggested any man or woman with no hair ‘down there’ is 75% more likely to contract an STI than a non-groomer.

The survey included US residents between the ages of 18 and 65, inquiring  into STI history, sexual preferences/behaviours, and grooming practices.

via GIPHY

The boffins can’t be certain of the logic behind the statistic. But they think it’s something to do with “epidermal microtears” – the microscopic cuts in your skin that come from use of a razor.

According to NY Daily News, the microtears “…might allow transmission of bacteria or viruses like HPV.”

The link between frequent shaving and STIs is by no means definitive. The study acknowledges that if an individual is shaving regularly, it may simply mean they’re having more sex… and henceforth be at greater risk of contracting an STI.