Her Health · Pretty Girls Who Serve
Caring for your body is holy work.
Your mind, your cycle, your rest, your appetite, your heart. Here’s where to find help, what to ask, and a private place to keep track, all in one calm spot.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
3 John 1:2
Mental health
Your mind matters to God, and to us.
Anxiety, sadness that won’t lift, feeling numb, not sleeping. These are real, they are common, and they are not a lack of faith. Prayer and counseling go together. Your campus counseling center is a good first door, and these lines are open now.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Overwhelmed, anxious, hopeless, or thinking about ending your life. You don't have to be in crisis to reach out. 24/7.
En español: press 2, or text AYUDA to 988.
Crisis Text Line
Text with a trained volunteer when talking out loud feels like too much. 24/7, free.
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
Pregnant or a new mom
You don’t have to smile through it.
Worry, crying, rage, scary thoughts, or feeling nothing at all can come during pregnancy or after the baby. It isn’t your fault, it doesn’t make you a bad mother, and help works.
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline
For pregnant women and new moms, and the people who love them. Call or text, 24/7, English and Spanish.
It's support, not a crisis line. In crisis, call or text 988.
Postpartum Support International HelpLine
A caring volunteer calls or texts you back, listens, and connects you with local help. Not a crisis line.
Eating and body image
Your body is not a problem to fix.
Eating disorders can look like anything and happen at any size. If some of these sound like you, you deserve support, not shame:
- Food, weight or your body takes up most of your thoughts.
- You skip meals, hide eating, or feel out of control around food.
- You exercise to "earn" food or to make up for eating.
- You feel shame looking at photos of yourself, or avoid them.
ANAD Eating Disorders Helpline
Free support and help finding care, for you or someone you love. Monday to Friday, 9 am to 9 pm Central; they return messages left after hours.
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
Psalm 139:14
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
1 Corinthians 6:19
Reproductive and sexual health
The basics, from the people who study them.
Your cycle
A normal cycle is anywhere from 24 to 38 days, counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. About 28 is average, and it can change from month to month.
When to call a doctor about your period
Bleeding through a pad or tampon every one to two hours, a period longer than eight days, clots bigger than a quarter, feeling dizzy or weak, or pain that makes you miss class or work. Those are worth a visit, not something to push through.
Birth control
There are many methods, and what fits one woman may not fit another. Most don't protect against STIs; condoms do.
STI testing
The CDC recommends a chlamydia and gonorrhea test every year for sexually active women under 25, and an HIV test at least once for everyone 13 to 64. Testing is ordinary care, not a judgment.
More for women at every age: womenshealth.gov, from the U.S. Office on Women’s Health. If someone hurt you, RAINN is 800-656-4673, any hour. If a relationship feels unsafe, see Safe Haven.
Free and low-cost care
Money shouldn’t keep you from a doctor.
Your campus health center
Many colleges include basic visits in student fees. Check your school's site for student health and the counseling center; counseling is often free for enrolled students.
Community health centers
Health centers across the country charge on a sliding scale based on your income and family size. You can go even without insurance.
Health insurance
You may be able to stay on a parent's plan, use a student plan, or qualify for Medicaid or a Marketplace plan. Your campus financial aid or health office can help you sort it out.
At the appointment
Questions to ask your doctor.
Ask
- What do you think is causing this, and what else could it be?
- What tests do I need, and what will they tell us?
- What are my options, including doing nothing for now?
- What side effects should I watch for, and when should I call you?
- Is there a less expensive option, or a generic?
- Can I get a copy of my results and visit notes?
- When should I come back, and who do I call after hours?
Before you go
- Write your symptoms down before you go: when they started, how often, what helps.
- Bring someone with you if you want. You can also ask for a female provider or a chaperone.
- If you feel dismissed, you may ask for a second opinion. Your pain is real.
Private, on this device
My cycle & wellness tracker.
Keep your period dates and a few daily check-ins. It lives only in this browser, on this device. It is never sent to Pretty Girls Who Serve or anyone else, and you can erase it any time.
Period start dates
No dates yet. Add the first day of your last period, and the one before it if you know it.
What your dates say
Add at least two period start dates and we’ll estimate your average cycle and your next period.
This is an estimate, not medical advice. Cycles change with stress, sleep, illness and birth control. Never use it as birth control.
Daily check-in
Rest and Sabbath
Rest is not laziness. It’s obedience.
God rested, and Jesus pulled His friends away to rest. Sleep, a slow Sunday, a phone left in another room: caring for your body this way is part of honoring the One who made it.
“And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.”
Genesis 2:2
“And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.”
Mark 6:31
“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.”
Psalm 127:2
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
