For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well.
—Psalm 139:13-1
After reading a passage like this, and seeing the state of affairs today, one must wonder, What went wrong? How could something created by a wise and perfect God be so full of dysfunction? God’s manifold wisdom is so complex that I needed to study for eleven years just to have the basic knowledge required to treat those inward parts that are not functioning correctly, and then spend the rest of my medical career continuing to study in order to understand the intricacies of the human body.
How could something so good go so awry? The answer is simple—sin, a one-syllable word with three letters, yet so full of meaning and consequences that it is beyond our understanding. God made everything not just good but very good (Gen. 1:31). He created as a perfect Designer to complete His divine purposes, reflecting Him as we live and reproduce to fill and subdue the earth. That one-syllable word, sin, has such profound implications that it changed everything. The effects of disobedience are not as simple as they appear.
God created both genders so that as we work together in a complementary fashion, we would have the ability to multiply and subdue the earth. Although both genders are needed to accomplish these tasks, we were designed so that each task would be more apparent in one of the genders. The assignment of multiplication becomes more apparent in women once they become pregnant, while dominance (dominion) as commanded initially by God seems more obvious in men as they relate socially, although neither can accomplish these tasks alone.
Women were made as ideal helpers for men (Ezer Kenegdo), and this design makes her strong in a perfectly complementary manner. However, sin in the world brought death, and death implies decay. So, what was perfect now malfunctions and eventually dies. This beautiful design, which worked perfectly before the fall, is now impossible without the indwelling Holy Spirit and the subsequent transformation of our minds.
For the human race to multiply, each sex was made with distinct designs. For example, pregnancy needs a complex reproductive system that involves hormones, among many other factors, working in a cyclical and complex manner. These reproductive hormones don’t only work in the body giving us the shape, function, and capabilities that our bodies possess but also work in our brains guiding how we think. These hormones literally produce fluctuating cerebral changes each month in both size and function within some cerebral regions created by the blood’s cyclical hormonal variations. These substances, which affect our emotions, were designed by a loving God to bring color to our lives and make life enjoyable, but this is precisely what Satan has used to produce conflicts.
As an Ezer Kenegdo, women are designed for connection. And how could we relate to others without feeling their pain or happiness? These same emotions can cause conflict in those with a darkened understanding (Eph. 4:18), deceitful hearts (Jer. 17:9), and desires contrary to God’s will (Gal. 5:17) until the Spirit transforms our minds as He applies God’s Word to each believer (Rom. 12:2). These emotions are powerful. Our God is omnipotent, and He will help us to develop the self-control we need to live under His will.
Believe it or not, I’m speaking about the normal menstrual cycle. I will walk with you through the emotions of a regular cycle, which 85% of menstruating women feel to some degree. The first week of the cycle starts with the first day of menstrual bleeding. At this point, our thinking is quick, agile, astute, and with a good memory. We experience a rebirth of energy and ambition, and we feel ready to begin new projects. We have a positive attitude, we make decisions quickly, and we are eager to motivate those around us.
In the second week, there’s a mild transition where the woman is more relaxed, warm, and loving and feels the need to enjoy life as she maintains the energy needed to complete the projects she started. At the end of this week, ovulation occurs. She is still confident and desires to care for her family, but she starts feeling unfocused, slow, and irritable.
The third week brings about restlessness and discouragement, and her mood is not the best, with an overriding feeling that something bad is about to occur. Although she’s working hard, she feels that she is not accomplishing what she needs to, which makes her frustrated and confused.
As the fourth week enters, the anxiety and stress increase. Little things irritate her and she has the feeling of not getting the help she needs from her family. All this produces guilt and a confused desire to get closer to her family, meanwhile also wanting to avoid them.
As the period begins, the tension is relieved, and her mood improves. I would imagine that for those of you who have never read this before you’re thinking, just as I did, Now I understand—it’s not random feelings, and I’m not crazy. There are a small number of women who don’t experience these symptoms, but for those who do, it could range from very mild to quite severe, even requiring medication.
I must admit that after generations of studying medicine, there is still so much that we don’t understand. I cry out like Paul, “Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!” (Rom. 11:33). Just knowing that these things are occurring helps us make the necessary adjustments to prevent the damage that we can cause to those around us. Exercise, a healthy diet, good sleep hygiene, and a healthy prayer life are all good practices. Being aware of what is occurring and humbly asking your family to work with you is good “damage control.” Allowing them to understand that the problem is not something that they have done is so helpful, especially to those small creatures that God has placed in our hands to raise in His wisdom and admonition.
We were created in His image (Gen. 1:27). The Hebrew word translated as “image” means a type of representation. God’s purpose is that we reflect, as a mirror, the divine virtues which He has placed in us as women. As mentioned above, the effects of disobedience are not as simple as they appear to us. Adam and Eve’s disobedience altered the course of God’s creation, and every single person since has continued altering that course of God’s original intention. The dysfunction we see now is significantly more than in the first years after they were evicted from the garden.
Jesus also altered the course of humanity but in the opposite direction. Because of His death and resurrection, we now have His power to overcome. Our eternity is secure. We honor Christ and His creation when we care for the temple of His Spirit, our bodies. His desire, which should also be ours, is that we “walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Eph. 4:1-3). I pray that each of us would better represent our Lord as we imitate Christ.
About Dr. Cathy Scheraldi de Núñez
Dr. Cathy Scheraldi de Núñez came to the Lord thirty-eight years ago and is an international speaker, director of the ministry for women “Ezer” in the International Baptist Church in Santo Domingo, and director and producer of the weekly podcast A Woman for God’s Glory. She has worked with The Gospel Coalition and Return to Him in the women’s initiatives division. She graduated from the Wisdom and Integrity Institute. She is a co-writer with her husband Miguel Núñez of the book The Sexual Revolution and accompanied by our Ministry leader team “A Women’s Ministry that Pleases God and Edifies the Church” and The Influential Women. She is co-editor of a devotional Bible with B&H Publishing: Christ in the Center. She is co-author of For His Namesake with Jeanine Martinez, and her newest book will be available in November 2025, How Did We Get Here. She has writings published on different Christian websites including Lifeway Women, Radio Eternity, Soldiers of Jesus Christ, Teachers of Good, Coalition for the Gospel, and Revive Our Hearts, and she has made podcasts with other women published in different Christian media. She is a physician and retired in 2024 from private practice as an Internist and Endocrinologist.
