“”

Women's Health, Your Way

May 02, 2026

Ask & Search With Clara

Welcome to a new standard for women’s health answers.

GIRLHOOD / You Can Sit With Us (At the Doctor’s Office)

You Can Sit With Us (At the Doctor’s Office)

You Can Sit With Us (At the Doctor’s Office)

We recently shared a meme on Rescripted that said, “If you saw Mean Girls in theaters, it’s time to schedule a mammogram.” It was meant to be light and nostalgic — a reminder wrapped in humor — but it struck a nerve. Which makes sense, because it’s true. Not in a scary way. More in a “wow, how did we get here so fast?” way.

Somewhere between quoting Regina George and figuring out carpool logistics, many of us entered the phase of life where taking care of our health requires actual planning. Appointments don’t just happen. You have to make them, remember them, follow up on them, and sometimes advocate when something feels off, even if you can’t fully explain why yet.

The same goes for Harriet the Spy (RIP Michelle Trachtenberg, a real loss in 2025). If that movie lived rent-free in your childhood brain (the curiosity, the notebook, the ingenuity!), it might be time to bring that same energy into your own care. Asking for a full thyroid panel isn’t being dramatic; it’s being informed and trusting that you know your body best.

What no one really prepares us for is how proactive women have to be to stay well: how much mental energy it takes, and how easy it is to put ourselves last when everything else feels louder and more urgent.

But caring for your health isn’t just a response to getting older. It's an investment in staying here, fully present, for the life you’re still building. So laugh at the meme, share it, and then do the very grown-up thing: take yourself seriously enough to make the appointment. 

More from GIRLHOOD

In February, I was lying on the exam table at my annual, underwear tucked under my jeans on the chair in that way that makes absolutely no sense, catching up... Read more
"Everyone wants a village, but no one wants to be a villager." I keep seeing that on social media, and every time it stops me, probably because it's true in... Read more
I still can't get over how often women with regular cycles get their periods. I'm apparently one of them now: after years of cycles that showed up whenever they felt like it,... Read more

The Trip We Didn't Take

My husband and I were supposed to be in Portugal this week. Our friends were getting married, we had the tickets booked, and then his new job made it impossible... Read more
When I had my twins, my company gave me four and a half months of paid maternity leave, and I was so grateful I could have cried — which, given... Read more
This week, mid-facial, my esthetician asked if she could pluck my chin hairs. I said yes, obviously, and then we started talking about all of the things we have to... Read more
It's National Infertility Awareness Week, which means I've been thinking a lot about the version of me who sat in a fertility clinic waiting room at 28 — college-educated, completely... Read more
When I was maybe ten or eleven, before I knew I could write, I was convinced I was going to be a fashion designer. Or a makeup artist. The plan... Read more
After nearly a decade in women's health, I thought I'd heard it all. And then a video stopped me mid-scroll and genuinely blew my mind. It turns out, hearing loss... Read more
Are we looking at ourselves too much? No, like, that's a serious question. Maybe it's the fact that I'm in my "late" 30s now. Maybe it's four hours of Zoom... Read more