OUR PEOPLE
HUMANS
of Pindara
DR ANDREW CARY
OBSTETRICIAN/GYNAECOLOGIST
Can you tell me a little about your
family back ground? Where did you
grow up? What was it like? Any
siblings? Were you the first to go
into medicine or does healthcare
run in your family?
I have a strong family background
in health care. My father was also
an Obstetrician Gynaecologist and
my aunt and uncle were also medical
practitioners. Whilst my siblings (two
brothers and one sister) did not study
medicine, it was a natural step for
me to follow my father into medicine
and in particular into Obstetrics and
Gynaecology. Also I have several
cousins who work as medical
practitioners. Growing up in south east
Queensland with time spent between
Brisbane and the Gold Coast meant
that this was an ideal upbringing and
certainly I was exposed to health care
in all my formative years.
Why medicine – what drew you to
it? There are so many ‘easier’ paths
and professions – what made you
decide on medicine? What made
you stick with it through years of
study and internship?
Medicine was the anticipated path
for me from even in the early years
of high school and my father painted
a picture of the qualities of care in
women’s health.
Why an Obstetrician and
Gynaecologist?
Women’s health is such a different
field of medicine to most other
specialities. It is tremendously
rewarding to assist a woman from
fertility issues through to achieving
a complete family. Most women in
pregnancy are healthy, content and
excited about the prospect of delivering
a healthy baby so it is a very upbeat,
positive side of medical care. Yet the
challenges of pregnancy and childbirth
can strike suddenly and need swift
decision making and prompt actions to
achieve that positive outcome. There can
be a sudden immediacy about our need
to take corrective measures and this may
be stressful for a women and her partner
but the outcome of a healthy mother and
baby brings immense rewards for the
family and indeed myself.
The Gynaecology side of my job
essentially translates to “the care of
women’s health”. Thus Gynaecology
then bookends my work in fertility and
pregnancy care. By this I mean that
I may see young women for health
issues such as period problems prior
to any planning of children but I may
also care for those who have completed
their families or chosen not to have
children. The end effect is of an all
encompassing caring role for women of
all ages and circumstances. This makes
my job varied and extremely rewarding,
especially when I may care for one
woman for all these life journeys.
64 | Pindara Magazine ISSUE 12 | 2018