25/04/2024
On Menstruation, Mood Swings, and Pastor Jerry Eze
As seen in a video clip published on his page on 30th March 2024, Pastor Jerry Uchechukwu Eze, the lead Pastor of Streams of Joy International and Convener of NSPPD, said to the women in his congregation:
“If you are here and you run mood swings, your soul is under attack…There is a deeper problem in your soul you have not solved. The mood swing is only symptomatic of the wounds that are in your soul.”
Still on the subject of women and mood swings, Pastor Jerry Eze continued:
“So today you come in and you’re all very nice…and then you turn around and say, ‘It’s because I am in my period.’ You are not the only one that menstruates. Don’t give this kind of useless excuses. I want you to know that point in time when you are all that way, you are a toxic person. People of God, there is no excuse for toxicity.”
Watching that video and recalling other times I’d heard similar harmful teachings from preachers and people with a cult following, it became imperative for me to say this: People in powerful positions ought to stop using their influence to create and reinforce myths that are harmful to women and girls. Women and girls should be safe at their places of worship and in our society at large.
On societal attitude toward women, menstruation, and mood swings, Elissa Stein and Susan Kim, authors of the book, Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation, recount how “The heightened emotions and various physical symptoms many women experience in the week before their period were first identified in 1931 by Dr Robert Frank, who called it ‘premenstrual tension.’ Previously, women who complained about it to their doctors were bluntly labeled ‘neurotic,’ ‘nervous,’ or ‘hysterical’ and summarily sent on their not so merry way.”
Because the medical community could not comprehend the root cause of the various symptoms women experienced at the time, they continued to dismiss women’s complaints, just as Pastor Jerry Eze is doing in 2024, making them feel their physical symptoms were all in their heads.
For decades, the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized “hysteria” as a disease in their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and continued to diagnose women with it. This erroneous diagnosis was officially removed from the Manual only in 1952, and the symptoms, which include mood swings, tender breasts, fatigue, food cravings, nausea, irritability, depression and so on, have come to be known as Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). The extreme case of PMS is known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).
So, dear Pastor Jerry Eze, contrary to what you believe, menstruation-related mood swings are not a character flaw in women. They are rather diagnosable physiological conditions. I think PMDD is what you were trying to describe during your “sermon.” And, no, it is not a sign of toxicity. What I consider toxic, however, is the fact that places where girls and women are meant to go for their spiritual well-being have continued to turn out unsafe for them, with sermons such as this coming from pulpits.
Pastor Jerry Eze, PMS and PMDD symptoms are real and women who experience them neither wish it upon themselves nor can switch the symptoms on and off at will as you assume. It might also interest you to know that no two women are the same. In fact, when it comes to menstrual health, no woman remains the same throughout her lifetime. Some women experience severe, life-threatening symptoms at some point in their cycles; some experience mild, bearable symptoms; and then there are the lucky ones who experience negligible symptoms. Therefore, your wife’s experience does not reflect the experiences of other women in your congregation or those who are viewing your video on the internet.
It is common for women and girls to demonstrate remarkable strength as they go about their jobs and businesses despite facing numerous menstrual cycle-related challenges, often due to societal constraints that leave them with little or no choice. However, their experiences must not be minimized or dismissed on this basis.
Pastor Jerry Eze, given that you are not an authority on women’s matters, since you are neither a woman nor at least a gynecologist, to the best of my knowledge, I suggest you avoid speaking about women’s menstrual issues with so much authority, if you must speak about them at all. It is only reasonable that when one is delving into a subject that they are not very familiar with, they approach it with utmost humility, acknowledging the possibility that they could be wrong. You can take a cue from men such as the Indian Arunachalam Muruganantham, who have been great allies to women and girls when it comes to menstruation and its many challenges.
I am addressing this issue for two main reasons:
Firstly, the church has a history of demonizing and prosecuting women who exhibited symptoms that were unfamiliar to men. For instance, During the Middle Ages in European history, “[a]ny undiagnosable illnesses or instances of bizarre behaviour were…diagnosed, conveniently if not constructively, as having been brought on by the devil himself. So…women unfortunate enough to merit the diagnosis of hysteria were instead tried in Church courts and often prosecuted as witches” (Stein and Kim). Unfortunately, in 2024, we see church leaders continuing the path of this harmful practice by stigmatizing diagnosable illnesses that affect women within their congregations.
We must speak up against these erroneous and dangerous narratives. We must make an effort to protect the well-being of women and girls in our society, whether within religious institutions or elsewhere.
Secondly, Pastor Jerry Eze commands a substantial global following, with a considerable number likely to adopt his teachings without question. This presents a concerning possibility that his message may inadvertently sow confusion among women regarding their own experiences. His teachings also indirectly encourage insensitivity toward the struggles of women rather than promote a response of compassion and empathy. In a nutshell, Pastor Jerry Eze, your “sermon” of 30th March 2024 holds the potential to endanger women.
In the words of Anita Diamant, the author of Period. End of Sentence. A New Chapter in the Fight for Menstrual Justice, “Ignorance is the opposite of bliss, and in the absence of facts, fear and misinformation flourish.” This is why people who are not experts on women’s matters must endeavour to approach subjects concerning women with caution, humility, and respect.
I call on other women and well-meaning men to join forces as we challenge these dangerous narratives that attempt to demonize girls and women. We must challenge these endless cycles of ignorance, misinformation, and shame.
Written by Hope Eze
