Bummer: Guys Who Manscape Are More Likely to Get STIs

And here you've been calling yourself ‘Mr. Clean’

December 8, 2016 9:00 am

Unfortunately for all you manscapers, there’s a new request women might start making after admiring your well-groomed groin:

A herpes test.

According to a new study, people who shave their pubic hair are more likely to contract STIs.

The research, published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections, is based on surveys of 7,580 people ages 18-65. Of the 7,470 who reported at least one sexual partner, 84 percent of women and 66 percent of men had shaved or waxed their pubic hair, and those groomers were categorized by frequency and intensity (aka tasteful trimming vs. Mr. Clean).

The most alarming statistic, and you might need some hair of the dog after this, is that “people who trimmed their pubic hair had an 80 percent higher rate of STIs.” Before you throw away your discreet, carefully labeled pubic hair shaver, there are some other statistics to note.

“Groomers reported a greater number of annual and total lifetime sexual partners compared with non-groomers,” the study states. While some might call that game-set-match in favor of manscapers, there’s more. Whether we’re talking cutaneous STIs (herpes, HPV, syphilis) or secretory STIs (gonorrhoea, chlamydia, HIV), the groomers were more likely to report them all. 

But as with any scientific study, it’s crucial to read the limitations. The researchers note that they “did not assess safe sex practices (e.g., condom usage) of respondents.”

In layman’s terms: so long as you and your partner(s) get tested and practice safe sex, feel free to go full Daniel Craig Bond on your body hair.

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