Shaving your bikini line too often increases your risk of recurrent nasty infections, scientists warn
SHAVING, waxing or nothing at all: what you you with your pubic hair is your choice.
But scientists now say shaving your bikini line too often could put you at higher risk of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
In fact, having hair down there might actually be beneficial for your health, they said.
UTIs are nasty but fairly common, affecting your bladder, urethra or kidneys.
They're usually caused by bacteria from poo entering the urinary tract through the urethra - this is the rube that carries pee out of your body.
Women have a shorter urethra than men, so the bacteria has less of a way to go to reach their bladder or kidneys and cause an infection.
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Researchers from the Jagiellonian University Medical College in Poland say 50 per cent of women will develop at least during their lifetime.
It's also possible to get recurrent UTIs - when the infection comes back after treatment or occurs twice in six months.
Women choosing to wax or shave their hair down there often do so to feel clean or hygienic, the researchers said.
But the idea of pubic hair "being dirty and unhygienic seems to be incorrect", they went on.
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"Human hair has actually been shown to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria," scientists wrote in the study published to .
To demonstrate this the team asked women aged 18-45 to complete a survey, which they advertised on social media.
Participants were asked to share how old they were when they got their first UTI, medical information like whether they were pregnant or had diabetes, how often they had sex and whether they had a new partner.
They were also asked to share their hair removal and grooming practices from the 12 months prior, as well as how often they'd got UTIs in that time.
Out of the 2,409 women surveyed, 74 per cent said they'd removed all their pubic hair at some point in the last year.
The researchers defined women who removed their public hair daily or weekly as "'extreme groomers".
Some 67 per cent fell into this category.
Women who had sex at least once a month and experienced their first UTI before the age of 15 were more likely to have had at least one UTI in the year before the study.
"Extreme grooming was not associated with the risk of being diagnosed with at least one UTI during the last year," researchers wrote.
"However, women who were extreme groomers within the past 12 months were three times more likely to have had recurrent UTIs," they added.
The team described recurrent UTIs as having at least three infections within a year.
Having a first UTI in childhood, being with a new sex partner and having sex frequently also raised the risk of nasty recurrent infections.
"While not tied to overall UTI risk, removing all hair weekly could strip away a protective microbial shield," author Andrzej Galbarczyk said.
Symptoms of a UTI
- Pain or a burning sensation when peeing
- Needing to pee more often than usual
- Needing to pee more often than usual during the night
- Needing to pee suddenly or more urgently than usual
- Pee that looks cloudy
- Blood in your pee
- Lower tummy pain or pain in your back, just under the ribs
- A high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery
- A very low temperature below 36C
You should see a GP if you have symptoms of a UTI for the first time, if you're pregnant or if your symptoms get worse or don't improve after two days.
The researchers concluded that pubic hair might be beneficial for maintaining women’s urogenital health.
"Results suggest that along with their pubes, women may be getting rid of important protection against recurrent UTIs," they wrote.
The research team said pubic hair might help keep the microbiome in your pubic region stable.
On top of that, women's pubic hair harbours Lactobacillus bacteria that "could confer ‘antimicrobial protection’ by preventing colonisation by other microorganisms", they went on.
"Microbial populations of Lactobacillus species have a strong inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli, the most common causative agent for UTI.
"Finally, it should be noted, that pubic hair removal can lead to many health complications.
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"The most common is genital itching, followed by irritation, skin infection, rash, cut or bleeding, acne, allergic reaction, and ingrown hair."
While they didn't advise you abstain from waxing or shaving your pubes completely, they at least you don't pick up your razor on a weekly basis.