Pubic hair does thin and decrease as you get older, and for many people it becomes noticeably sparser from middle age onward. The main driver is a gradual decline in the sex hormones that triggered pubic hair growth in the first place. The process is slower and less dramatic than the balding many people experience on their scalp, which is why it catches some people off guard when they notice it in their fifties or sixties. How much you lose, how quickly, and whether it signals anything worth investigating varies quite a bit from person to person.
Why Pubic Hair Depends on Hormones
Pubic hair exists because of androgens, the group of hormones that includes testosterone and its more potent relative, dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Before puberty, the follicles in the pubic region produce only fine, nearly invisible vellus hairs. When androgen levels rise during puberty, those follicles convert into terminal follicles that produce the thicker, coarser, pigmented hairs you recognize as pubic hair.1PubMed. Androgens and hair growth The follicles in your groin are essentially androgen-dependent for their entire working life. If androgen levels drop far enough, the process can partially reverse: terminal hairs gradually become finer, lighter, and shorter, and some follicles stop producing visible hair altogether.
This is exactly what happens with aging. Testosterone production declines gradually in both men and women after roughly age 30, though the rate and timing differ. Women experience a sharper hormonal shift at menopause, when estrogen and testosterone levels both fall substantially. Men experience a slower, steadier decline. Either way, the androgen supply that keeps pubic follicles producing thick terminal hairs diminishes, and the hair follows.
The Role of Adrenal Hormones
Testosterone from the ovaries and testes is not the only androgen that matters for body hair. The adrenal glands produce dehydroepiandrosterone, usually called DHEA, which the body converts into both testosterone and estrogen in peripheral tissues. DHEA levels peak in your twenties and then decline steadily, a process sometimes called adrenopause. By the time you reach your seventies, circulating DHEA may be only a fraction of what it was at its peak.
Research on DHEA replacement illustrates how sensitive body hair is to these hormones. In a controlled trial of long-term DHEA supplementation in people with adrenal insufficiency, some older women who achieved higher-than-normal DHEA levels developed mild androgenic side effects, including increased body hair.2PubMed Central. Long-term DHEA replacement in primary adrenal insufficiency: a randomized, controlled trial That sensitivity runs both ways. When DHEA drops naturally with age, the pubic and underarm regions tend to be among the first body-hair areas to show thinning, because those follicles rely heavily on adrenal androgens rather than gonadal testosterone alone.
How the Pattern Changes Over Time
Pubic hair loss with age is not just a matter of fewer hairs overall. The distribution pattern itself tends to shift. A study of pubic hair in adults across three age groups in Northern Nigeria found a clear relationship between age and hair pattern. In men, the horizontal pattern of pubic hair became less common with age, replaced by a more dispersed pattern associated with overall changes in body hair distribution.3Anthropologischer Anzeiger. Sex differences in adult pubic hair distribution in Nigeria While that study focused on one population, the broader observation holds across groups: pubic hair does not simply vanish uniformly. It tends to thin from the outer edges inward, and the remaining hairs become finer and lighter.
Color changes are often the first thing people notice. Just like scalp hair, pubic hair goes gray. The follicles gradually lose the melanocyte activity that produces pigment. Gray or white pubic hair can appear as early as your late thirties or forties, often well before any noticeable thinning. Because the remaining hairs are lighter and finer, the overall appearance of thinning can seem more dramatic than the actual reduction in follicle count.
Differences Between Men and Women
The timeline and extent of pubic hair loss differ between the sexes, largely because of hormonal differences. Women who go through menopause typically experience a more abrupt change. The drop in ovarian estrogen and testosterone can lead to noticeable thinning of pubic and underarm hair within a few years of menopause. Some postmenopausal women find their pubic hair becomes so sparse that it is barely visible.
Men generally retain more pubic hair into older age because their testosterone levels, while declining, usually remain higher in absolute terms than postmenopausal women’s. However, men are not immune to the process. By their seventies and eighties, many men notice significantly thinner pubic hair. The pattern of loss in men also tends to overlap with broader changes in body hair: leg hair, chest hair, and underarm hair may all thin simultaneously, giving the impression that the whole body is becoming less hairy.
There is also a counterintuitive twist for some women. While pubic hair thins after menopause, a small number of postmenopausal women develop coarser hair in other areas, such as the chin or upper lip. This happens because the ratio of androgens to estrogen shifts: even though androgens are declining, estrogen is declining faster, so the relative androgen influence on facial follicles can temporarily increase. The pubic follicles, which need a higher absolute level of androgens to maintain terminal hair, still thin regardless.
Medical Conditions That Accelerate Pubic Hair Loss
Normal age-related thinning is gradual and usually accompanies other visible signs of aging. Rapid or complete loss of pubic hair at any age is a different story and may point to an underlying medical issue worth investigating.
- Alopecia areata and universalis: These autoimmune conditions cause the immune system to attack hair follicles. Alopecia areata usually starts with patchy hair loss on the scalp, but in its more severe form (alopecia universalis), it can eliminate hair everywhere on the body, including the pubic region.
- Thyroid disorders: Both an overactive and an underactive thyroid can disrupt the hair growth cycle. Hypothyroidism in particular is associated with diffuse hair thinning that can affect the pubic area alongside the scalp, eyebrows, and limbs.
- Pituitary or adrenal insufficiency: Because pubic hair depends on androgens, conditions that impair the glands producing those hormones can cause premature or accelerated loss. Hypopituitarism, Addison’s disease, and related conditions may produce noticeable pubic and axillary hair loss as an early symptom.
- Iron deficiency and malnutrition: Severe nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron and protein, can disrupt hair growth throughout the body. This is more common in people with eating disorders, malabsorption conditions, or chronic illness.
The distinction that matters is pace and context. If your pubic hair has been gradually thinning over a decade alongside graying temples and other age-related changes, that is almost certainly normal. If it falls out rapidly, comes out in patches, or thins dramatically before midlife, it is worth bringing up with a doctor.
Medications and Nutritional Factors
Several medications and supplements can accelerate pubic hair loss or cause it independently of aging. Chemotherapy is the most familiar example, but the hair loss from chemo is usually temporary and affects the whole body. Other culprits are subtler.
Excess vitamin A intake is one that surprises people. In a documented case, a 60-year-old man who had been taking vitamin A supplements well above the recommended daily limit developed hair loss across the front of his scalp along with decreased pubic and axillary hair. He also had nail changes and a skin rash, all consistent with vitamin A toxicity.4PubMed Central. The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review The threshold for toxicity is roughly ten times the normal daily recommendation, which sounds like a lot but is achievable if you are stacking multiple supplements that contain vitamin A or eating large amounts of liver regularly.
Hormonal medications also play a role. Anti-androgen drugs prescribed for prostate conditions, polycystic ovary syndrome, or gender-affirming care directly reduce the androgen levels that maintain pubic hair. Oral contraceptives with strong anti-androgenic progestins can thin body hair in some women. And long-term corticosteroid use can suppress adrenal androgen production, leading to diffuse body hair thinning over time.
Anticoagulants like heparin and warfarin, certain antidepressants, and some blood pressure medications have hair loss listed as uncommon side effects. Body hair, including pubic hair, can be affected, though scalp hair loss is more commonly reported. If you have started a new medication and notice accelerated hair thinning in multiple areas, the medication is worth discussing with whoever prescribed it.
Does Grooming History Affect What Happens Later?
A common belief is that years of shaving, waxing, or other hair removal somehow damages the follicles and leads to less regrowth as you age. The reality is more nuanced. Shaving does not affect the follicle at all; it cuts the hair at the surface and leaves the follicle untouched. Hair grows back at the same rate and thickness regardless of how often you shave.
Waxing and epilation, which pull the hair from the root, can over many years cause some degree of follicle damage. Repeated trauma to the follicle can sometimes lead to finer regrowth or, rarely, permanent reduction in a small number of follicles. But this effect is modest and spotty. Laser hair removal and electrolysis are the only methods that reliably destroy follicles, and their effects are intentional and permanent.
What grooming does affect is your perception of how much hair you are losing. If you have been removing pubic hair for years, you may not notice gradual thinning the way someone who has never groomed would. Research on pubic hair removal finds that the practice is extremely common, with the majority of women reporting razor use at least sometimes, and about 60 percent reporting at least one complication such as ingrown hairs or skin abrasion.5PubMed Central. Complications related to pubic hair removal The point is not that grooming causes long-term damage but that if you are already removing hair regularly, the age-related thinning happening underneath may go unnoticed for years. Some people only realize how much pubic hair they have lost when they stop grooming and find that regrowth is much sparser than it used to be.
When Thinning Becomes Noticeable
Most people start noticing changes to their pubic hair sometime between their late forties and early sixties. Graying typically comes first, often in the forties. Actual thinning of hair density tends to follow a few years later, though it varies widely. Some people retain relatively full pubic hair well into their seventies; others notice significant thinning by their early fifties. Genetics plays a large role, as does overall health and hormonal status.
People who go through early menopause, surgical menopause (removal of the ovaries), or who have conditions that suppress androgen production will tend to see changes earlier. Similarly, people on hormone replacement therapy may find that their pubic hair persists longer or even thickens, because the therapy is replacing the androgens that the follicles depend on.
It is worth noting that pubic hair loss with age is almost never complete. Even in very elderly people, some follicles typically continue producing hair, though it may be fine and nearly colorless. Total absence of pubic hair in an older adult, while not dangerous, is unusual enough to warrant checking in with a physician to rule out an endocrine issue or medication side effect.
Skin Changes That Come Along for the Ride
The thinning of pubic hair does not happen in isolation. The skin of the vulva, groin, and surrounding area also changes with age, and these changes can interact with hair loss in ways that matter practically. Aging skin in the genital area becomes thinner, drier, and more fragile, especially in postmenopausal women experiencing lower estrogen levels. Pubic hair, sparse as it may become, actually serves a mild protective function: it reduces friction during movement, wicks moisture, and provides a small buffer against minor skin irritation.
As pubic hair thins, some older adults notice increased skin sensitivity, chafing from clothing, or a greater tendency toward irritation in skin folds. These are not serious medical issues, but they can be annoying. Moisturizers designed for sensitive skin, looser-fitting underwear made from breathable fabrics, and avoiding harsh soaps in the genital area can all help. The loss of pubic hair does not require treatment in itself, but acknowledging the skin changes that accompany it can prevent unnecessary discomfort.
For people who have spent decades managing ingrown hairs, razor bumps, or irritation from grooming, there is a silver lining to age-related thinning. Less hair means fewer grooming complications, and the finer texture of aging pubic hair tends to cause fewer ingrown hairs even if you continue to groom. The follicle-level changes that feel like a loss in one context can be a quiet relief in another.