About Ask Her First

What you can do here

• Understand a health or safety issue through 40 in-depth guides, each ending with questions to ask and where to get help.
• Check in with yourself using standard self-check questionnaires that doctors widely use.
• Find support on our Get help page, or read what to do if you're worried about someone.
• See the evidence: 252 statistics from 582 numbered sources, each linked to where it came from.

Our sourcing policy

We want you to be able to check everything we say. These are the rules every page on this site follows:

1. We don't invent or estimate numbers. Every statistic comes from a published source, and we show it the way the source reports it.
2. Every number links to its source. The small number next to a fact takes you to the full citation, with a link to the original.
3. We say where a number applies. Figures are global unless they are labeled "U.S."
4. We don't fill gaps with filler. If something isn't written yet, it isn't published.
5. We use primary sources. New facts must come from organizations such as the WHO, CDC, NIH, and UN agencies, from peer-reviewed journals, or from the organization that runs a hotline. We don't use facts found only in blogs, aggregators, or videos, and we record the date we last checked each source.

How we check facts

• Every factual sentence in a guide is cited. Before a guide is published, each cited sentence is checked against the source's own words. If we can't find a source that supports a claim, we leave the claim out.
• We match the strength of the evidence. "Linked with" is not "causes," and "some studies found" is not "research shows." When studies disagree, we say so, and every guide has a "What we don't know yet" section.
• Each statistic is stored once, with its source. The site is built from that list, so a number reads the same everywhere it appears, and the site won't build if a statistic points to a source that isn't listed.
• Hotline numbers come from the organizations that run them, and the site checks that each number's letters and digits dial the same line.

Keeping information current

Research and guidance change. Each guide shows when it was published and when its sources were last checked, and the Sources page shows the date each source was checked. Statistics on this site were last checked against their sources in September 2026. We review sources when we update a page, and when we learn that guidance, recommendations, statistics, or the source itself has changed, starting with time-sensitive information such as hotline numbers and screening or treatment guidance. When we find an error, we correct it on the page.

Information, screening, and professional care

• Our guides are information, based on published research and official health sources. They aren't medical, mental-health, or legal advice.
• Our self-checks are screening questionnaires, not diagnoses. A score can suggest it's worth talking with a professional; only a health professional can diagnose a condition. Read what to do after a self-check.
• Diagnosis and treatment come from qualified professionals. For decisions about your own health or safety, talk with one.

This site shares published research and official data. It has not been reviewed by a clinician. For decisions about your own health or safety, talk with a qualified professional.

Privacy

• No ads. Our pages don't set cookies or save anything in your browser. We count visits with Cloudflare Web Analytics, which doesn't use cookies; our Privacy page explains what it records and what Cloudflare's network handles.
• The self-checks, quiz, and support finder work on your device. Your answers aren't sent anywhere, saved, or added to the page address.
• We don't ask for your name, email, or any other personal information.

Your own browser and device can still keep traces of your visit, such as your history and any files you save. Browse safely explains what stays on your device and how our quick exit works.