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Step into Gýneco, and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve entered a chic boutique hotel – soft, elegant interiors, curated details, and an ambiance of serene luxury. But this is no ordinary retreat. It’s the region’s first dedicated clinic for Aesthetic and Functional Gynaecology, the brainchild of pioneering obstetrician-gynaecologist Dr Maria Karakoulaki, who has made it her mission to offer women solutions they never dreamed possible.
With over two decades of expertise – from guiding thousands of deliveries to becoming a sought-after menopause specialist – Dr Karakoulaki has devoted her career to transforming women’s lives at every stage. Now, through Gýneco, she merges cutting-edge medicine with an uncompromising vision of holistic care, addressing everything from post-childbirth recovery to intimate aesthetics and menopause with a level of sophistication rarely seen in women’s healthcare.
As part of GRAZIA’s Career Edit, Dr Karakoulaki shares with us her career journey and aspirations.
My current role is…
Founder of Gýneco – the first dedicated clinic for aesthetic and functional gynaecology in the UAE.
When I was younger I wanted to be…
A ballerina. I did classical ballet for years and started when I was five. At the age of 13, I had to make a decision – either professional ballet or continue with school. I don’t know if it was an informed decision, as really my parents decided for me, but I stopped ballet. Since then, I’ve never done it again. I don’t even watch ballet shows. It was very painful for me.
After that, my dream was to become an actress. I’ve always identified as an artist, it’s something very deep inside me. But at the same time, I wanted to save the world and help people. That might be because of my family, as both my father and brother were surgeons. I think, on a level, I wanted to show them that I could also be a doctor, that I could help people through medicine.
Even though I studied medicine, I was always very close to art. I studied in Munich, where there are amazing museums and galleries. My Sunday ritual was to spend a whole morning in a gallery, it was like my meditation. It was the same in New York, where I was at Cornell University, Presbyterian Hospital for my last year of studies. I wasn’t there for the shopping [laughs]. I never went to Bloomingdale’s or Macy’s, I was always in galleries, museums, or exhibitions.
I still wasn’t sure if I was meant to be a doctor or an actor, so I went to a drama school while doing my residency. I’d go to the hospital, work there until whatever time in the afternoon, and then spend the rest of the day until late into the night at drama school. Many times I’d have worked a 24-hour shift at the hospital and even after that I’d go to drama school. During my third year, I had a role playing a doctor helping an addict, and I had exactly the same thing happening in my real life – I was treating an addict who was pregnant. During this magic period of my life, I really came to know what was more important. Did I want to help more intellectually through drama, or did I want to help everyone? That’s when I decided to be a doctor.
My favourite subject at school was…
Biology. I was always fascinated about how our body works and how things happen.
My first job was…
In the university hospital in Munich for my practical year. It was a tough experience, I wouldn’t want to go back.
My career path so far has been…
I did my masters in gynecological endocrinology, which was very intensive, at the University of Athens endocrinology department. I’ve always been very interested in female hormones and how they change throughout our lives. Since then, I have worked with hormones and hormone replacement therapy a lot. I know menopause is a hot topic now, but for me, it’s a very old one.
When I came to the UAE nine years ago, I was the first person to bring the body-identical hormones for HRT to Dubai. I was with Mediclinic Welcare Hospital, and I went to the hospital pharmacist and said I needed these hormones. They said they weren’t available in Dubai, so women didn’t have access to them, but I found a way to bring them here. That’s how it all started.
I went from Welcare to King’s and took my medications with me. It was really difficult and I really had to convince women to take HRT. I told them about the evidence, the research, the physiology, but there was a study that was putting them off. Now the problem is that HRT has become so popular, which is very positive, of course, but it’s become the “wonder drug”. So if a woman has clinical depression or issues with their weight, they think HRT will cure everything. I have to tell them it’s the opposite – it’s not all about HRT. Yes, it helps prevent many things, but it’s not the only factor. That’s why I also have a functional medicine doctor in my clinic. It’s about our lifestyles. This helps us live and age better.
The role the UAE has played in my career is…
The UAE gives you the opportunity to grow. Dubai is a place where if you work properly as a doctor and if you want to grow in your career, things will happen. You have the opportunity to do it. Whereas in other countries, it’s not possible. I tried to do the same in Greece, but for a very short time as there was a financial crisis. You might be the best doctor, you might work very hard, but there, connections are very important. If you come from a well-known medical family, you’ll move forward faster. So, I’m very, very grateful for the opportunity the UAE has given me to grow.
I was inspired to enter into the functional and aesthetic gynaecology space because…
I was both an obstetrician and a gynaecologist, so I saw women suffering after their deliveries from conditions that I was helpless, as a traditional gynae, to help with. Women would also come to me with problems in their intimate lives, and I really didn’t know how to help them. You’re not taught that at university. I also saw a demand from women when it came to the aesthetic side of gynaecology, and it made me think – there’s a need here, there are not many doctors dealing with this. That’s what inspired me to do it.
My daily routine consists of…
I wake up around 5.30 and make my coffee before biking for around 20 to 30 minutes. Then I have a hot shower, which I always end with very cold water. I drink my green juice, which is a mix of celery, spinach, kale, tomato, and a little lemon and salt. I never start my day with anything sugary.
I fight with my son to get him up [laughs], he’s 11 years old, and when he’s having breakfast, I come to my office. I check my flowers are okay, put the music on, and start my day. It’s always a mix of consultations, treatments for functional gynaecology – things like laser and radio frequency – as well as normal gynae check-ups. I’m currently performing surgeries in hospital, but I’m soon to set up a small OT for almost all my surgeries to take place here in my clinic, which is really exciting.
The biggest hurdle I’ve overcome is…
There are two. One challenge was doing my residency in Greece, which is a very old-man dominated environment. I was just seen as a young lady and I wasn’t taken seriously. The other was the negative competition that I faced before I opened my clinic. I was amazed at how unethical people were and the amount of backstabbing that goes on, which is why I wanted my own space – to have my own peace of mind.
The biggest milestone I have achieved is…
Making hormone replacement therapy, menopause, and functional aesthetic gynaecology much more known in the UAE.
A quote I live by is…
“Fear is your worst advisor. Dare even if you’re scared”. That’s something I’ve followed throughout my life.
What I hope for the year ahead is…
I really hope that my clinic becomes a hub for aesthetic functional gynaecology. There are so many things we can do to help women, young and old, have a better quality of life, whether it’s dryness, incontinence, or post-delivery problems. There are so many solutions and options now, and I want women to feel empowered by the choices they have. We offer hormonal support for every stage of a woman’s life, be it puberty, trying to conceive, or menopause. We also offer post-natal and post-birth rehabilitation, which is so important, and we have amazing tools to help strengthen the pelvic floor and intimate area. Sexual health is also a key part of what we do. Anything to do with the intimate area, we treat. Lots of traditional doctors will say there’s nothing you can do, you just have to live with it. My message to women is, you don’t have to live with it – there are solutions and there is hope, for everything.
