Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles

@siouxsiew

The other “Susie” Wiles AKA NZ’s “COVID lady/Pink Terror”. Microbiologist & science communicator, lover of bioluminescence & Lego. Becoming slightly obsessed with reusable period products despite being perimenopausal. She/her.

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Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· 25d

Quick glimpse of Hinātore from today’s art exhibition… So relieved the bacteria are glowing!

A black cylinder with depiction of Hinātore in blue-green - made by glowing bacteria

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· 28d

Tonight’s job is removing bit of vinyl…

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· 28d

Here’s our first practise run…

A large Perspex cylinder sat on top of a piece of furniture in a darkened room. It’s filled almost to the top with liquid which glows an eerie green blue light

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· Jul 13

If you're in Auckland this Saturday 18 July, join us for an art exhibition that glows in the dark! Hinātore: The First Light, is a free immersive exhibition exploring Māori pūrākau through bioluminescence, maho toi, and Western science. 10:30-4pm, Project Space. 20 Whitaker Place.

Poster for Hinātore: The First Light art exhibition. Set on a bluish green background, to the right is a cartoon drawing of a face representing the Māori atua Hinātore. She is portrayed in dark purple with white outlines. Her hair is pulled back from her face by a head band and she wears a long thin earing in her ear. She has a moko kauae. Her eye is glowing with a blue-white light. To the top left in greeny-white writing is the word 'Hinātore' in large capital letters. Under that, in smaller capitals are the words 'The First Light'. Under that it says: 'An immersive exhibition exploring Māori pūrākau through bioluminescence, maho toi, and Western science.' Below that are the words 'Project Space, Ground floor, in bold letters followed by Main Fine Arts Building 432, 20 Whitaker Place, Grafton, Auckland. Under that it has the date: Saturday, 18 July 2026 and the time 10:30am-4pm. Underneath that are the logos for Te Pūnaha Matatini, Nga Pāe Māramatanga, and the Bioluminescent Superbugs Lab.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 28

It's day 28 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth which also means it's #MenstrualHygieneDay, which was started by German NGO ‘WASH United’ back in 2013. So happy MH Day, folks! Today we're asking: what do haircuts, bungee jumping and alcohol have in common with periods? #PeriodFriendlyWorld 1/11

In the centre of the image is the words ‘today is Menstrual Hygiene Day’ written in bold, capitalised, bright red text. Behind the star is a bright white, many pointed star that fades to a light pink around the edges. In the top right corner is a purple photograph of period undies, a purple photo of a tampon swings down from the top right corner, along the bottom from left to right are purple photos of a tampon, menstrual cup and reusable pad.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 27

It's just another reminder of how badly/little research is done on period products. We're trying to change that for menstrual cups and discs. 8/10 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

Dark pink red background with a lighter outline of a starburst shape taking up the bottom third of the picture. Inside the starburst are the words 'Period People Aotearoa' in white capital letters. There are three dark menstrual cups dotted around and the words 'There's only seven lab studies in the safety of reusable menstrual products' in red capital letters in a white speech box. Underneath that are the words 'help us change that' in white capital letters. In the top left corner are the words Period People Aotearoa in light red capital letters and preceded by the @ symbol. Underneath are the letters CC BY SA indicating the illustration is released under a Creative Commons by attribution share alike license.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 24

Working in partnership with affected communities, Reemi developed a kit that includes fast-drying period underwear, a waterproof wash bag, and a drying bag. It gives women a reliable period product they can wash and dry in private. 6/9 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

Lilac background with a large light pink starburst in the centre. Overlaid on that are a pair of dark reddish-brown women's underpants. Underneath in large dark purple capital letters is the word Reemi. In the top left corner are the words Period People Aotearoa in purple capital letters and preceded by the @ symbol. Underneath are the letters CC BY and SA indicating the illustration is released under a Creative Commons by attribution share alike license.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 23

It's day 23 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and today we're switching focus from period products to using no products at all. It's free bleeding and the free bleeding movement. 1/7 #PeriodFriendlyWorld

Creamy white background with a darker cream outline of a starburst shape taking up the bottom third of the picture. The top two thirds of the picture is bright red with a bottom edge reminiscent of dripping paint. Inside in very large white capital letters are the words 'the free bleeding movement'. In the bottom right corner are the words Period People Aotearoa in pinky-red capital letters and preceded by the @ symbol. On top are the letters CC BY SA indicating the illustration is released under a Creative Commons by attribution share alike license.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 21

The big issue here with disposable period products containing plastics is that plastics take an estimated 500 to 800 years to decompose. 8/10 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

Dark reddish brown background with black starbursts in the top left and bottom right corners. The bottom half of the illustration is taken up with the words 'it takes between 500-800 years for a tampon to break down' written in white capital letters. The '500-800 years is written in red capital letters and enclosed in a white rectangle. The top of the illustration features a white tampon with a splash of red as though bloody. In the top left corner are the words Period People Aotearoa in capital letters and preceded by the @ symbol. Underneath are the letters CC BY and SA indicating the illustration is released under a Creative Commons by attribution share alike licence.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 21

In terms of the sheer amount of period waste produced, I've seen figures of 11 to 45 billion for the number of period products disposed of worldwide each year. Here in Aotearoa, it's around 350 million. Most of this waste goes to landfill or is incinerated. 5/10 #PeriodFriendlyWorld

Dark reddish brown background with the black outline of a starburst in the top half of the illustrations. The words 'in NZ we dispose of 350 billion menstrual products each year' is written in white capital letters along the top third of the picture. A red rectangle encloses the '350 million'. The bottom third of the picture is taken up by a collection of pads and tampons with splashes of red on them as though bloody. In the top corner are the words Period People Aotearoa in capital letters and preceded by the @ symbol. Underneath are the letters CC BY and SA indicating the illustration is released under a Creative Commons by attribution share alike licence.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 20

It's day 20 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and today we're taking a look at the history of menstrual cups and discs. While they feel like a relatively new invention, as we covered yesterday, the first patent dates back to 1867! 1/16 #PeriodFriendlyWorld

An illustration showing the history of the menstrual cup. A large heading in the top left corner says a brief history of the menstrual cup. Below the heading and starting from the top left are the products ‘catamenial sac 1867, Leona Chalmers (the Tasset) 1937, Tassette 1950s, Tassaway 1960s, The keeper 1980s, MoonCup 2002 and menstrual disc 2020. Each of the products has an illustration of what it looks like in a bright red colour above the name and date.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 19

It's day 19 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and today we're taking a look back at some of the period products used over the centuries. 1/9 #PeriodFriendlyWorld

An illustration with a cream background showing a timeline or red winding road with purple speech boxes dotted along naming the different menstrual products used throughout history. The products listed, beginning from the top of the image and start of the timeline, are moss, papyrus, woven cloth, catamenial sack in the 1800s, sanitary belt, tampons in 1931, adhesive pads in 1969 and menstrual cups in the 2000s. Along the timeline are small purple illustrations in a traditional scientific style of medical equipment including a syringe, scissors, scalpel and a cork screw.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 18

It's day 18 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and today we're talking menstrual/period products, physical products used to absorb or collect period blood/menses. 1/ #PeriodFriendlyWorld

Dark purple background two light light purple starbursts in the top right-hand and bottom left-hand corners, and 5 cartoon period products - a tampon, pad, period underwear, menstrual cup and menstrual disc, with splashes of red on them as though bloody. In the top starburst are the words "modern day menstrual products# written in white capital letters. In the bottom starburst is written period people aotearoa in capital letters and preceded by the @ symbol. Underneath are the letters CC BY and SA indicating the illustration is released under a Creative Commons by attribution share alike licence.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 16

It's day 17 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and today we're talking #menopause and #perimenopause. 1/13 #PeriodFriendlyWorld

An illustration made up of layered stars with many points emanating from the bottom of the image. They start as a bright pink colour and fade to a dark red towards the top. At the bottom of the image is the words Perimenopause and Menopause written in capslock in a large, bold, white font.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 15

It's day 16 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and our topic is #MenstrualLeave, a form of leave which allows employees to take paid or unpaid time-off work, or to work flexibly, for menstruation or menopause related symptoms. Importantly, this leave is on top of regular sick leave. 1/6

In the centre of the image are the words menstrual leave in caps lock black text. Covering part of the letters is a transparent image of a tampon with an illustrated pair of red scissors cutting the string below. The background is a light purple. In the top left corner is an illustrated star with many points, it is so large it goes off the page. Next to it is a purple image of a menstrual cup. Along the bottom is a purple image of reusable period undies and a menstrual cup, both cropped off by the bottom of the image.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 15

And yesterday, day 14, we covered the important news that the misleading Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has just been renamed Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome (PMOS). This one got a bit personal. bsky.app/profile/siou... 7/9 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

In the top left hand corner of the image is a bright blue speech bubble with the words P.C.O.S is getting a name change. Below this is a large typographic composition. With black capslock text that says P.M.O.S Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovary Syndrome. In the top right hand corner is a many pointed blue and white star fading off into the corner.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 15

On day 13, we covered adenomyosis and fibroids: bsky.app/profile/did:... 6/9 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

The image shows two pink and red illustrated uteruses. One is positioned in the top left corner and is slightly cropped off on the left hand side of the image. This uterus illustration shows the presence of adenomyosis. The accompanying purple text on the right hand side says Adenomyosis, the uterus lining starts growing into the wall of the uterus.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 15

On day 11, we covered premenstrual syndrome (AKA PMS): bsky.app/profile/siou... 4/9 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

A picture on a cream textured background, reminiscent of expensive card. In the top right corner is a red scribble. In the centre is a slightly distorted drawing of a brain as viewed from the side. The folds are are outlined in dark red and purple and the brain itself is pink. Overlaid on the top right of the brain is a red scribble, to the left a dark grey semi-opaque starburst and on the bottom right are three smaller red starbursts. In the bottom left corner of the picture is a pinkish scribble and overlaid on that a purple speech box with the words "PMS or Pre-Menstrual Syndrome can cause a huge range of symptoms" in white capital letters, with the words "huge range" in a white box in purple capital letters.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 15

On day 10, we raged at the gender pain gap: bsky.app/profile/siou... 3/9 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

A picture on a cream textured background, reminiscent of expensive card. In the top right corner is a red speech box with the words "Lets talk about the" in capital white letters, and directly underneath in a white box, the words "gender pain gap" in red capital letters. There is a pixilated representation of a tampon with a pair of hand-drawn red scissors appearing to cut the string. Underneath that is a pixilated menstrual pad with a hand-drawn red syringe partly overlaid as though injecting it. Underneath these items is a starburst shape with a thick pink outline.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 15

On day 9, we explained what MDCD stands for: menstrual discomfort, conditions, and disorders: bsky.app/profile/siou... 2/9 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

A digital hand-drawn picture on a cream textured background, reminiscent of expensive card. The drawings and writing are in red. In the centre is a large box inside of which is a drawing of a uterus, vagina, fallopian tubes, and ovaries. To the left and above the box is another box showing a close-up of the uterus lining. To the right and inset is another box showing a close-up of bits of tissue on the outside of the uterus. In the bottom right is a drawing of a person from mid thigh to just above the waist, in a pair of briefs with a hand on their belly, covered in a red starburst shape. In the bottom left-hand corner is a box with the words "It's time to talk about the difficulties some people experience - menstrual discomforts, conditions and disorders (MDCDS)" in capital letters. In the top-right corner is a starburst with @PeriodPeopleAotearoa and CC BY SA.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 15

May is #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth and I've been trying to post something about menstrual health every day. Today is day 15, so here's a thread recapping what we've covered this week. #PeriodFriendlyWorld 1/9

Hashtag and the words "period-friendly world" in red capital letters on a pale pinky-red background, with three pale starburst shapes in the background, two to the left, one at the top and one at the bottom, and another in the middle on the right.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 12

Even taking the mid-estimate, to put it in context for NZ, that's about 120,000 people, which is nearly the population of Dunedin! #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld 10/11

A picture on a cream textured background, reminiscent of expensive card. An illustration of a uterus in pink and purple with endometriosis as red patches takes up most of the image. Along the top in black capital letters is text that says in Aotearoa, about 120,000 people have endometriosis. In the bottom left corner is a square magenta magenta speech bubble with the words in black capital letters "almost equivalent to the population of Dunedin" with an asterisk noting 130,000 people.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 7

Now, multiplying by the average number of days menstruating per cycle (5) gives us 1,950 days. That's over FIVE YEARS spent bleeding, on average! And that is why good menstrual health is so important, and we should all be fighting for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld 8/8 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth

Dark grey background with 5 cartoon period products: a pad, menstrual cup, two tampon, and a pair of undies, all with splashes of red on them as though bloody. In the top left corner is the phrase "thats 1950 days" in white capital letters and along the bottom right is the phrase "...or five years!" in red capital letters. There is a subtle black starburst shape underneath in the bottom right hand corner.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 7

The average cycle length is 28 days, and there are 365 days in the year, so that makes c 365/28, which is 13. So, (33 - 3) x 13 gives us 390 periods over a lifetime. So not far off that figure in the Lancet. 7/8 #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth #PeriodFriendlyWorld

Dark grey background with 16 cartoon period products - a mixture of tampons, pads, undies, menstrual cups and menstrual discs, almost all with splashes of red on them as though bloody, with 3 little pools/dribbles of blood interspersed. At the bottom are the words "the average number of periods over a lifetime" written in red capital letters alongside a large 390, also in red and sitting within a subtle black starburst shape.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 5

Not a medical term as such, but given that not all people who menstruate identify as girls and women, menstruator is a good gender-neutral term that also includes trans men and boys, nonbinary, and intersex individuals who experience periods. #PeriodFriendlyWorld #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth 4/6

Hashtag and the words "period-friendly world" in red capital letters on a dark reddish background, with three subtle starburst shapes underneath, in the top left, top right, and bottom left corners.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 5

It's day 5 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and today we're talking technical. Here are some important medical terms related to periods... #PeriodFriendlyWorld 1/6

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 4

Nearly 90,000 people from 190 countries responded, revealing more than 5,000 euphemisms! I haven't been able to find the whole list online, but Clue posted a few on their website, and we can see some themes emerging... 5/16 #PeriodFriendlyWorld #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth

The phrases "The redhead/La Colorada", "Beetroot-vagina/Rødbedeskede", "It's a crime scene in my pants/C'est une scène de crime dans ma culotte", and "Communists in the gazebo/Kommunister i lysthuset" in black and coloured capital letters positioned from top to bottom on a cream textured background, reminiscent of an expensive card. The English phrases are placed above each corresponding phrase in smaller letters. There are also three subtle starburst shapes, one in the top right corner, one in the top left corner and another in the bottom left corner. Where the starburst shapes intersect with the phrases, the letters are coloured either red (top) or purple (bottom).

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 4

And the word most often used, ikura, comes from the phrase “Mai-i-Kurawaka” referring to the origins of menstrual blood from Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother. 3/16 #PeriodFriendlyWorld #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth

The words/phrases "ikura", "te awa tapu", and "te awa atua" in red capital letters on a dark reddish background, with two subtle starburst shapes underneath, one in the top right corner and one in the bottom left.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 4

It's day 4 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, and today we ask: what do you call your period? Here are just a few of the English euphemisms I found online. Time of the month. Shark week. Having the painters in. A visit from Aunt Flo. Surfing the crimson wave. Code red. #PeriodFriendlyWorld 1/16

The phrases "shark week", "having the painters in", "code red", and "aunt flo" in red capital letters on a cream textured background, reminiscent of an expensive card, with two subtle starburst shapes overlaid, one in the top right corner and one in the bottom left.

Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles@siouxsiew· May 3

It's day 3 of #MenstrualHealthAwarenessMonth, so let's talk numbers. How many people do you think are affected by Menstrual Health? 1/10 #PeriodFriendlyWorld