Shaving pubic hair during pregnancy, is it okay or not? & bull; hello healthy

There are still many pros and cons regarding whether or not to shave pubic hair, or what we usually know as pubic hair, when women are pregnant. This thought also sometimes crosses the minds of some pregnant women approaching the time of their delivery. So, is it permissible to shave pubic hair while pregnant?

What are the benefits of pubic hair?

The presence of pubic hair is a sign that your reproductive organs have matured. Some literature also says that pubic hair functions in protecting your genital organs. Shaving pubic hair with the wrong technique can cause injury, which is a potentially good medium for germ growth. Apart from wounds, the use of non-sterile razors can also lead to infection.

Benefits of shaving pubic hair during pregnancy

Until now, shaving pubic hair is the right of everyone. For pregnant women, there are several reasons why she shaves her pubic hair during pregnancy, including:

The delivery process is more hygienic

Shaving pubic hair is believed to make the delivery process more hygienic and reduce the potential for infection exposure. So shaving pubic hair before delivery has become a standard procedure in some hospitals, both when the mother gives birth normally or caesarean section .

One study suggested shaving pubic hair more than 48 hours before having a childbirth surgery. That is because the study concluded that shaving pubic hair can increase the risk of infection during medical procedures, because it is likely to cause cuts during shaving.

Prevents obstruction of clearance of postpartum hemorrhage

Postpartum bleeding usually occurs 3 to 10 days after delivery. In postpartum hemorrhage, usually there is placental tissue and blood that is carried along. Some mothers choose to shave their pubic hair before delivery, to prevent obstruction of this blood cleansing. But some other mothers find that shaving pubic hair, especially if it's done by someone else, is a shame.

Risks of shaving pubic hair during pregnancy

Molluscum contagiosum is a skin infection that is later spread through sexual activity. This infection can provide a irritating itching sensation to the appearance of a lump and is transmitted through direct contact with infected skin. A study conducted by the CDC on 30 patients with this infection was able to reveal that 93 percent of these patients had shaved their pubic hair.

A professor of dermatology at the University of Rochester, Mary Gail Mercurio, later supported the results of the study by saying that she found that many of her patients were infected with the disease and had a history of shaving pubic hair. In other words, these two studies agree that shaving pubic hair increases the risk of transmitting the infection. However, a recent study by Vittorio Basevi found no link between shaving pubic hair and infection transmission.

As mentioned above, shaving pubic hair during pregnancy is still the right of today's mothers, as long as the shaving is done using a safe technique. There are still differences of opinion and a lack of recent research results, causing no definitive answer whether it is permissible to shave pubic hair during pregnancy.