How many pubic hairs does a woman have

For younger women who wish to groom down there, Dr. Gersh recommends trimming the majority of the hair rather than shaving it completely off. Begin with shaving only the areas that might peek out from a bathing suit. Gersh explains. Let it grow, let it grow! We get it. Talking about pubic hair can be a bit embarrassing. But, as Dr. Welcome to the wacky world of pubes, ladies. Home Lifestyle How much hair is normal down there?

We asked doctors about this and other pube-related questions. How much hair is normal down there? Like other areas of the body, pubic hair does require regular cleaning. A person should wash their pubic area whenever they shower or bathe, just as they would other parts of their body. Keeping it clean can help prevent odor. However, there is currently no scientific evidence to suggest any health benefits associated with removing pubic hair — other than the removal of pubic lice.

Pubic hair grooming and removal are fairly common behaviors among adults. Removing or trimming the pubic hair is a personal choice, though social pressures can sometimes influence this decision. Pubic grooming injuries are surprisingly common. One survey found that Also, limited evidence suggests that removing the pubic hair can increase the risk of STIs.

However, further research is necessary to determine whether or not removing the pubic hair increases this risk. There are a few methods a person can try to safely remove the pubic hair at home. A person needs to use caution with whichever method they choose to help prevent injury. Learn more about the best ways to safely remove the pubic hair here.

Whether or not a person removes their pubic hair is a personal decision. Social pressures from peers, partners, or certain media can sometimes influence the decision. However, this should be a personal choice. Some people may prefer to remove their pubic hair because it makes them feel better about themselves. Other people might remove it to feel more attractive to their partner. It is important to discuss this with a partner, however. Ultimately, a person needs to determine how they feel about the decision and do what makes them happiest.

Pubic hair plays a role in reducing friction during activities such as sexual intercourse. It also plays a role in preventing dirt and pathogens from entering the genitals. Removing pubic hair is generally safe, but it can result in injuries such as burns, nicks, and cuts. A person should use caution no matter how they choose to remove their pubic hair.

Some people prefer their pubic hair to look and feel well-groomed. Here, learn how to remove pubic hair safely and conveniently at home. Even if only their sexual partners are shaved, the risk of acquisition in the patients themselves would still be substantially less than for those who mate with partners whose genitals are hidden in the type of thick copse that crabs delight in.

But before you go scheduling your next Brazilian wax, consider that pubic hair does appear to offer some degree of protection against even nastier bacterial and viral infections. Although the diagnosis of pubic lice has seemingly plummeted as a direct result of human vanity in both sexes, cases of gonorrhea and Chlamydia have increased over the same period, a correlation that may not be merely coincidental. In a issue of Sex Roles , Flinders University psychologists Marika Tiggemann and Suzanna Hodgson, for example, found that more than three quarters 76 percent of a sample of female undergraduate students from Australia reported ever having removed their pubic hair.

Sixty-one percent currently did so and half of this sample said that they routinely removed all traces of their pubic hair. The current trend for men appears to be no different. In a separate study the same year, with colleagues Yolanda Martins and Linda Churchett, Tigemann reported in Body Image that of gay men, 82 percent had removed their pubic hair at least once.

Out of a sample of heterosexual men, 66 percent reported doing the same. And for young women, at least, the removal of pubic hair is significantly correlated with having a sexual partner, something that Tiggemann and Hodgson find more than a little troubling:. Pubic hair trends do make one wonder about unspoken human sexual proclivities. It is tempting to speculate, as my friend and fellow evolutionary psychologist Gordon Gallup reminded me recently, that those who prefer their sexual partners to be bare down there might actually be latent pedophiles.

Surely there are a host of reasons why people might opt to shave their pubic hair, however, or attempt to promote pubic hair removal. For example, many individuals are put off by the idea of cunnilingus or fellatio because of those pesky pubic hairs that can lodge inadvertently in their gratifying throats.

But now this is turning into a different type of story altogether. In any event, pubic hair coiffure is not a zero-sum game. In this column presented by Scientific American Mind magazine, research psychologist Jesse Bering of Queen's University Belfast ponders some of the more obscure aspects of everyday human behavior. Ever wonder why yawning is contagious, why we point with our index fingers instead of our thumbs or whether being breastfed as an infant influences your sexual preferences as an adult?

Sign up for the RSS feed or friend Dr. Bering on Facebook and never miss an installment again. For articles published prior to September 29, , click here: older Bering in Mind columns. The views expressed are those of the author s and are not necessarily those of Scientific American. To learn more about Jesse's work, visit www. Follow Jesse Bering on Twitter. Already a subscriber?