A team of researchers from UCSF Urology and beyond 
surveyed about 7,500 men and women about their grooming habits—how often and how much they shave or wax their public hairs; their sex lives; number of partners and if they have any sexually transmitted diseases (STD). The results saw a correlation between grooming and STDs prompting NPR’s Michaeleen Doucleff to pick up the story, in addition to prompting a flurry of discussion on social media.
Lead researcher, Benjamin Breyer, MD, MAS, described his surprise at the correlation, acknowledging that there is no way of knowing cause and effect.
Adds Dr. Breyer, "One point we'd like to relay is that in addition to our results, we like to impress upon people that the most important thing is to practice safer sex, irrespective of grooming status. In addition, it's important for young people to get vaccinated for HPV."
In addition to Dr. Breyer, first author, E. Charles Osterberg, MD from Austin, Texas with investigators Thomas W. Gaither, MD, MAS; Mohannad A. Awad, MD; Matthew D. Truesdale, MD, Isabel Allen, PhD; and Siobhan Sutcliffe PhD, ScM, MHS reported their findings in the December 5, 2016 edition of the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.
For the full NPR article, click here