Pubic lice

How do you get pubic lice?

Although you can catch pubic lice (or 'crabs') through sexual contact, they can also be transmitted in other ways, like sharing towels with an infected person.

What are the symptoms?

If you've caught crabs, you might have some or all of these symptoms:

• genital itching (from an allergic reaction to the lice bites)
• tiny blood spots on your underwear (this is where you have been bitten)
• tiny blue spots on the skin around your genitals
• tiny lice or tiny eggs (nits).

Scratching can transfer the lice to other parts of your body that have coarse hair, like your legs, armpits, and even eyebrows and eyelashes.

How do you know if you've got pubic lice?

You can usually find out by looking closely to see the lice and/or the eggs, but they may be so tiny that a microscope is needed.

Is there a cure for pubic lice?

Yes, pubic lice can be easily treated! They are uncomfortable, but not dangerous. At the chemist, you can buy special products to kill the lice and the eggs.

Other things you might have to do

• There are special treatments available for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and babies.
• Let your sexual partner and family know they might need treatment. They may have lice if you have them.
• Dry clean or hot-wash your clothes and bed linen.
• If you can't wash your things, they can be put into a plastic bag and sealed for two weeks to make sure the lice are dead.

If the treatment doesn't work after a week, you may need to do it again. If you still have symptoms after a second treatment, have your worries checked out by a professional. To find out where you can go for a sexual health check, look at the Think Contraception website for a list of sexual health clinics around the country. Talking to the nurse is confidential and anonymous.

If I go to a clinic will they tell my parents?

According to the law, you can ask for, and agree to, medical care for yourself once you are 16 years old. At the sexual health clinic the information you give the staff is completely confidential. It cannot be shared with your parents or people you know, unless the law requires staff to do so. 

An example of this would be if health staff thought you were at risk of serious harm. In this case the clinic is required to report this to the duty social worker in the Health Service Executive (HSE). Another example might be if your files were required in a court case.

For more information on STIs and having a sexual health check-up, look at the Think Contraception website.