Association between pubic hair grooming and prevalent sexually transmitted infection among female university students

Abstract

Recent findings have suggested an association between pubic hair grooming and self-reported history of sexually transmitted infection (STI), specifically gonococcal infection (GC), chlamydial infection (CT), or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We evaluated the association between self-reported extreme grooming and laboratory-confirmed prevalence of GC/CT. Between April 2017 and April 2018, we enrolled English-speaking, adult, female students at a large, Midwestern university who presented on-campus for STI testing. Participants completed a questionnaire on demographics and sexual and grooming behaviors, which was linked to their GC/CT test results based on nucleic acid amplification testing. We defined extreme grooming as removal of all pubic hair either at least weekly in the past 12 months or ≥6 times in the past 30 days. We used two separate logistic regression models to determine whether odds of GC/CT varied by extreme groomer status for either time interval. In the study sample of 214 women, prevalence of GC/CT was 9.8%. Nearly all participants (98.1%) reported ever grooming; 53.6% were extreme groomers in the past year and 18% in the past month. Extreme grooming was not associated with prevalent GC/CT in the past year (odds ratio [OR] = 0.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3–1.9; adjusted OR = 0.7; 95% CI: 0.3–2.0) or in the past month (OR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.1–2.0; aOR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.1–1.9). Pubic hair grooming was common among female university students attending for STI testing. Findings do not support pubic hair grooming as an STI risk factor in this population.

Pubic hair grooming practices in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: prevalence, side effects and association with sexually transmitted infections

“…[3][4] The age difference has been attributed to pubic hair removal motivations, increasingly targeting younger women, influencing both western and non-western cultural norms. 3,10,12 Similar to other reported studies, 1,8,10-12 using a razor to remove pubic hair was the most common method of hair removal and the leading cause of hair removal side effects. Although typical side effects reported are similar to previously published studies, the prevalence of side effects ever experienced by women in our study was much higher.…”

“…Pubic hair grooming, defined as partial or full removal of pubic hair, is reported as a common practice among men and women in many countries. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The prevalence of grooming is higher in women compared to men, 9,12 and in younger age groups of both women and men. 3,4,6,9 Several studies report grooming prevalence as greater than 80% among women.…”

“…3,4,6,9 Several studies report grooming prevalence as greater than 80% among women. [8][9][10] In one university in the United States (US), almost all (98.1%) of female students reported ever grooming. 10 The most frequently reported method for pubic hair removal is shaving, 1,8,[10][11][12] but other methods such as waxing and laser removal are frequent.…”

“…[8][9][10] In one university in the United States (US), almost all (98.1%) of female students reported ever grooming. 10 The most frequently reported method for pubic hair removal is shaving, 1,8,[10][11][12] but other methods such as waxing and laser removal are frequent. 6,8,12 Pubic hair removal is associated with high rates of side effects, such as lacerations, itching, folliculitis, rashes and burns.…”

“…12 However, a study among female university students in the US found no association of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) or Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection with grooming. 10 Despite the growing body of literature on pubic hair grooming, there has been limited research conducted outside of the US, especially in Africa. The Evidence for Contraceptive Options and HIV Outcomes (ECHO) Trial was an open-label, prospective randomized multicentre trial which compared the risk of HIV acquisition among 7829 HIV-1-negative women randomized to intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM), the levonorgestrel (LNG) implant or the copper intrauterine device (IUD) at 12 sites in Eswatini, Kenya, South Africa and Zambia from 2015 to 2018.…”