Dr. Margaret Hines grew up around an extended family that included many nurses. Hearing them talk about the care they provided and how they helped others eventually inspired her to become a physician.

During medical school Dr. Hines decided to specialize in OB-Gyn care. “I really liked the variety of care that you could do as an OB-Gyn and enjoyed the fact that you could follow people throughout their lifetime. I also liked the surgical aspect of the practice,” she explains. “It gives you another way to help people.”

After her residency, Dr. Hines went on to complete a 3-year fellowship in urogynecology (female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery). “I decided to go into urogynecology because it allows me to make a really big difference in someone’s quality of life. Issues like incontinence and pelvic prolapse prevent people from doing the things they love. If you can fix problems like that, people can go back to focusing on the things they enjoy.”

Dr. Hines has many different ways to help patients including physical therapy, lifestyle changes and medication; in addition to surgery. “One of the great things about urogynecology is that is that since we treat things that are not life-threatening, we can take our time to make the right decision. I really like to emphasize quality of life. If I can understand what the patient’s goals are, we can come together and find the best treatment plan to get them there – in a way that we are both happy with.”

Dr. Hines says that women off all ages can suffer from incontinence and other urogynecologic problems. “I have treated teenagers, women in their 90s and 100s, and all ages in between. Many of the problems I treat are associated with childbirth but not always. Connective tissue disorders, genetics, lifestyle, and other factors all play a role. We have so many effective treatments now. It’s very gratifying to see women after their treatment and have them tell me how much better they feel.”

In her free time Dr. Hines enjoys being with her husband and their daughter and loves to play tennis, garden, and find a good novel for beach reading.