Shaving, waxing, and lasering off body hair has become so commonplace that many women don't even think twice about it. You're probably in one of two camps: to remove or not to remove. But if you're in the former, you should know that your gynecologist may be a little concerned about your penchant for going bare down there.

A recent study published in the journal JAMA Dermatology found that not only is pubic hair "grooming" widespread, but that women are motivated to do it because they believe it's more hygienic. "I don't know where this idea came from," Tami Rowen, M.D., an ob/gyn at UCSF Medical Center specializing in sexual health concerns and lead author of the study, tells SELF. But it's not true.

She and other gynos want you to know it's perfectly normal—and clean—to let your pubes just do their thing. Here's why:

1. It's actually helpful to your body.

We have pubic hair for a pretty legit reason: to protect your privates. "It provides a cushion against friction that may cause skin injury, prevents dirt and bacteria from entering the vagina, and can help to spread pheromones [the chemicals we excrete to entice potential partners] and reduce heat loss," Mamta Mamik, M.D., associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells SELF. Though some of those points might sound like advantages that became moot when we stopped living in caves, there’s still a protective benefit to sporting a bush.

2. It's perfectly hygienic to have hair down there.

Contrary to the belief that drives many women to groom, "it is not unhygienic to have pubic hair," Mamik says. So why do women think it makes them dirty? When the hair wicks sweat off the skin (to keep you dry and cool), it collects, along with pheromones and bacteria, in that area. "The hair traps the smell," Michael Cackovic, M.D., an ob/gyn at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF. "What you can smell is bacteria mixing with the sweat and oil." But Rowen says that as long as you have good hygiene in general, your pubic hair isn't any worse off than the hair on your head. "Yes, pubic hair can get dirty or matted or collect bacteria," she says. "But if you're someone who regularly showers or bathes, it's not unhygienic to have it." Bottom line: If you're clean, your pubes will be, too. If you’re not, a Brazilian isn’t going to help you.

3. Pubic hair may protect you from certain STIs.

Though there are no studies on it specifically, Rowen says that theoretically, if you have less exposed skin, there's less surface area for skin-to-skin STIs like herpes to spread. On the other hand, being bald takes away anything for pubic lice (crabs) to take hold of. One scientific paper observed that the rate of crabs seems to have decreased as the Brazilian wax rose in popularity, but the study was purely observational and doesn't give evidence that waxing was actually the cause of less pubic lice.

4. Pubic hair is actually protecting the delicate internal tissue, too.

"Pubic hair is protecting the opening to (in my opinion) the most important organs in our body," Rowen says. It obviously covers the external skin—which is quite sensitive and can become irritated and itchy from rubbing against things like underwear and pants without pubic hair to buffer it. But the hair is protecting the tissue inside, too. For someone whose inner labia are a little more exposed, pubic hair is their first line of defense against invaders that can cause itchiness, irritation, and even an infection.

5. Microcuts from shaving can cause skin infections and irritation.

Gynos see patients with folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicle), abscesses, lacerations, irritation, and even infections as a result of their grooming practices. Cackovic says he sees patients daily who are worried that a bump or minor irritation is an STD, when really, it's just the result of a tiny self-inflicted cut becoming infected or inflamed.

"It’s a really sensitive area, and you're putting yourself at high risk for lacerating super important tissue," Rowen says. And she does't recommend waxing or lasering, either. "Waxing is extremely painful, expensive, and a lot of women get awful folliculitis from waxing," she says. You also risk burns and other minor skin irritations. Lasers can also cause burns, and, Rowen notes, cost thousands of dollars for something that doesn't always work.

6. You can get a groomed look without going full monty.

"If you do that, you get the benefits (if there are any) of both worlds," Cackovic says. You can avoid burns and cuts and still maintain enough hair to buffer friction against your skinny jeans and wick away some sweat; and if you're concerned about feeling unclean, trimming things back can help you feel a little more "groomed" and confident in a bathing suit. If you must shave, though she cautions against doing it at all, Rowen suggests using an electric razor, like the ones men use on their faces, to reduce the chances you'll cut yourself.