What Is Pubic Hair For, and Does Removing It Matter? What the Evidence Says

Humans shed most of the thick body hair that covers other primates. We kept the hair on the scalp, in the armpits and around the genitals. An explainer published by The National Tribune asks why pubic hair persists, and whether removing it makes any difference to health.

Pubic hair is tied to sexual maturity. It first appears in puberty, driven by androgens, the sex hormones that include testosterone. Researchers have offered several explanations for why we retained it. One holds that pubic and armpit hair trap and slowly release body scent. Sweat gland secretions interact with skin bacteria to produce odours, and those odours can cling to hair. Some researchers have suggested the scents play a part in sexual communication, but that idea rests on what is known about other species and has not been established in humans. A second theory says the hair reduces friction and chafing during movement and sex. Both are plausible, and neither has been conclusively shown.

On hygiene, the article is plain: there is no general medical or hygiene reason to remove pubic hair, though some people worry it makes the area dirty. Ordinary washing is enough. For women, that means cleaning the vulva with water alone or a mild, unscented cleanser. The vagina should not be washed internally, because doing so can upset its normal bacterial balance. Nobody needs to groom before seeing a doctor, since health professionals see a wide range of bodies and pubic hair is normal.

The infection evidence is less tidy. Some research suggests removal may raise the risk of certain infections and lower the risk of others. There is some evidence that pubic lice, which attach to the hair along with their eggs, have declined as removal has become more popular. Beyond that, the picture is unclear. A 2024 review of 22 studies covering more than 73,000 women found that those who groomed were more likely to have had gonorrhoea or chlamydia, with no clear difference for viral infections such as genital herpes or genital warts. A 2026 review of 15 more recent studies linked frequent or complete removal to a higher risk of problems including sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections and vaginal irritation. But a US study of 214 female university students, which tested for chlamydia and gonorrhoea instead of relying on self-reports, found no link between infection and frequent grooming.

Most of this work shows association, not cause. Shaving can cause small cuts and irritation, which might let infections enter or spread through the skin. It is equally possible that people who groom differ in sexual behaviour from those who don't, and that this, not the hair removal, explains the pattern.

Removal itself is old. People have removed or shaped pubic hair for centuries. What has changed in recent decades is how common extensive removal has become. Some researchers have proposed that internet pornography shifted expectations about genital appearance, including a preference for less hair.

The article's authors explored this in their own research, running the same anonymous online survey in 2014 and again in 2021, with 1,560 young adults aged 18 to 25 in total. Around 73% of women and 65% of men said they had groomed in the past year, from partial to complete removal. Reasons included comfort in clothing, a neater or cleaner look, preparing for a health-care appointment, and religious practice. The survey did not ask about religion or ethnicity, so the authors can't say how much religion explains the results.

On sex, most women said they preferred complete removal when receiving oral sex, and most men said they preferred it when performing oral sex on a female partner. Men's grooming preferences for receiving oral sex were not asked. Among those who groomed, 75.5% also reported viewing pornography, but non-groomers were not compared, and the study cannot say whether pornography influenced anyone's choice. Because different people answered in each year, it also cannot show how individuals' habits changed.

The conclusion: it is up to you. Most injuries from waxing, shaving or trimming are minor, though removing all hair, and doing so often, raises the risk of ingrown hairs and skin irritation. From a health standpoint there is no need to remove it. Future research may clarify whether skin injury or behaviour explains the infection associations.