Pubic hair growth begins at the onset of puberty when estrogen and progesterone levels increase. After menopause, when estrogen levels decline, pubic hair - along with the hair on the head - stops growing. Not everyone will experience pubic hair loss after menopause, it may simply turn grey or simply thin.
VULVA: After menopause, there is a loss of pubic hair and the labia shrink in size. The opening to the vagina, the introitus, narrows in the absence of regular sexual activity, and heterosexual women becoming sexually active after a time of abstinence can suffer pain and difficulty with penetration.
As we age, some pubic hair thinning, or loss, is normal. However, certain conditions like alopecia or an adrenal issue can also cause hair loss.
Pubic hair may extend out to their thighs, and some girls may have a line of hair up to their belly button. Most girls attain their peak height by age 16, but some may continue growing through age 20.
Different types of alopecia can cause pubic hair thinning. Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of alopecia in men and women. Also known as female or male pattern baldness, it's characterized by elevated levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Too much DHT causes hair follicles to shrink, leading to hair loss.
You're Less Likely To Get Rashes
If you don't shave, those things aren't really a possibility anymore, leaving you and your lady parts in peace. Indeed, Dweck listed infected hair follicles (folliculitis), rashes, and irritation (razor burn) as some of the most common issues she sees from patients who shave.
"This is a predestined thing—it's genetic and can happen at any age." With that said, she cites the late thirties as the time at which pubic hair typically begins to gray. Some health factors, however, may accelerate the graying process, says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD.
Your Pubic Hair Serves a Purpose
It provides protection against friction that can cause skin irritation in this sensitive area. It helps reduce the amount of sweat produced around the vagina. It helps block your vagina from the following bacteria and infections: Sexually transmitted infections.
Pubic hair removal is common — approximately 80 percent of women ages 18 to 65 report they remove some or all of their pubic hair.
Pubic Hair Trends
According to the researchers, when asked if they removed their pubic hair, 80% of women and 39% of men removed their pubic hair near the time of the survey. Also, 3% of women and 21% of men had never removed their pubic hair.
Estrogen plays a role in controlling the growth of pubic hair. As menopause occurs there is a reduction in the amount of estrogen that is available in our system. This slows down hair growth. It means that women may notice less pubic hair or thinner pubic hair as they age.
Menopause-related hair loss can occur in other parts of the body as well. Many women notice hair growth slows or stops on their legs, arms, and armpits. Pubic hair can also begin to thin leaving bald spots. Even your eyelashes and eyebrows may thin out during menopause.
Mary Jane Minkin, told us, “the most common cause of excessive pubic hair in young women is PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, which is associated with higher testosterone levels (yes, women make testosterone—and men do make estrogen, too).
Lice eggs (nits) are often easier to see than live lice. They look like tiny yellow or white dots attached to the pubic hair, close to the skin. Nits can look like dandruff. But you can't pick them off with your fingernail or brush them away.
Common causes of genital itching include contact dermatitis, jock itch, scabies, yeast infection, and folliculitis. Your healthcare provider can help you determine the cause and point you to the best treatment and prevention strategies.
Not everyone will lose their pubic hair. If you keep your pubic and body hair after the menopause, it will likely turn gray, just like the hair on your head. And you may also notice more hair growing in other areas, such as the chin and face.
It is more hygienic not to shave it (although depilation does make pubic lice homeless). In removing their pubic hair, most women will get cuts or ingrown hairs, and some will develop inflammation of the hair follicles or hyperpigmentation.
To keep the pubic area smooth and hairless, you'll need to shave regularly, even daily. Consider if this is worth the trouble; it may become tedious after four or five weeks.
Shaving, whether it's your legs, armpits, or pubic area, is a personal choice. You certainly don't have to shave before sex if you don't want to. Shaving pubic hair (or not) is a cosmetic preference, and it does not mean you are "cleaner" if you shave. If you do prefer to shave, try not to do it right before sex.
Pubic hair holds on to residual urine, vaginal discharge, blood and semen. Bacteria line up all along the hair shaft just lunching it up and creating odor. (Very appetizing, I know.) Trimming your pubic hair reduces that surface area for bacteria, thus reducing odor.
As people age, these follicles begin to die off, and there is less melanin in the hair. As the follicles die and melanin decreases, the color of the hair fades to silver, gray, or white. This process happens with hair all over the body, including pubic hair. In some cases, hair may prematurely age and gray.
After menopause, the tissues of the labia minora (which surround the opening of the vagina and urethra), clitoris, vagina, and urethra become thin (atrophy). This thinning can result in chronic irritation and dryness of the vagina. Vaginal discharge and urinary tract infections are more likely to develop.