Virtual care for women in Hillsborough and Burlingame
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Hillsborough and Burlingame, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Hillsborough and Burlingame?
Board-certified in family medicine by the ABFM, IFM-certified as an FMCP-M and credentialed by The Menopause Society (MSCP), Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., is available to women in Hillsborough and Burlingame through telehealth. She and her physician-led team treat perimenopause and menopause symptoms, weight gain tied to insulin resistance, Hashimoto's and gut problems, and prescribe bioidentical HRT when appropriate, working from your labs and your story rather than a template.
If your week runs from school drop-off in the Hillsborough hills to errands on Burlingame Avenue to an early flight out of SFO, an appointment that needs a drive is the first thing to get canceled. Video care changes that. You meet with Dr. Maren's team from home or another private spot, and no time disappears into US 101 or I-280 traffic. The point is not to add one more task to your list. It is to finally understand why you are not sleeping, why the scale keeps creeping up and why you feel less like yourself than you did a few years ago.
Read how she approaches perimenopause and menopause, hormone replacement therapy and thyroid care, or start with Christine's journey.
What does Dr. Maren treat for women in Hillsborough and Burlingame?
Hormones, thyroid, gut, metabolism and the immune system all influence one another, so she treats them as one connected picture.
Sleep, mood, hot flashes, cycles and weight, treated as one connected picture.
Bioidentical estrogen, progesterone and testosterone when appropriate, prescribed and monitored by a physician.
A full thyroid panel with antibodies, not just TSH, and medication tuned to how you feel.
Testing for SIBO, dysbiosis and infections, then a plan to remove, repair and rebuild.
Insulin resistance, muscle and body composition, with GLP-1 therapy when appropriate.
Irregular cycles, androgen excess and estrogen dominance, traced to the root cause.
Finding the triggers that keep inflammation going, alongside the care you already have.
How is Dr. Maren's care different from a typical visit?
She combines the power to prescribe with the precision of functional medicine, and she looks for the root cause instead of treating one symptom at a time.
| What you get | Dr. Maren | Typical general visit |
|---|---|---|
| Training | Board-certified physician, IFM certified (FMCP-M) and MSCP | Varies, and menopause training is often limited |
| Hormone therapy | Prescribes bioidentical HRT when appropriate | May avoid it or offer one option |
| Testing | Hormones, a full thyroid panel, insulin, nutrients and gut health | Often one hormone level or TSH alone |
| The big picture | Sleep, mood, weight, gut, libido and energy together | Symptoms treated one at a time |
| Time with you | A 90-minute initial case review | Often a brief appointment |
| Follow-up | Regular follow-ups and portal messaging between visits | Often a one-time prescription |
When should women in Hillsborough and Burlingame see a hormone or menopause specialist?
- Hot flashes and night sweats
- Irregular, heavier or closer-together periods
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Anxiety, irritability or low mood
- Brain fog and forgetfulness
- Weight gain around the middle
- Bloating, reflux or a gut that will not settle
- Exhausted, but told your labs are normal
These symptoms are common, but they are not something you simply have to live with. See the early signs of perimenopause.
How does virtual care work if you live in Hillsborough and Burlingame?
Apply online
Share your symptoms and goals in a brief application. The team confirms you are located in California and that the practice is the right fit.
Talk it through
If it looks like a fit, you will be invited to a complimentary discovery call with the team.
Meet from home
Your 90-minute initial case review and initial nutrition consultation happen by video, from home in Hillsborough or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
A nearby Peninsula lab draws your conventional labs, and the team walks you through what each number means for you. Your step-by-step plan follows, with regular follow-ups and secure portal messaging between visits.
What is Dr. Maren's approach?
Her signature three-pillar approach: address root causes, optimize hormones and build resilience. We don't guess. We test.
Address the root cause
We go deeper to uncover and treat what is driving your symptoms, starting with gut health and its links to the immune system, hormones, metabolism and nutrients.
Optimize hormones
With comprehensive labs and clinical expertise, we dial in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, thyroid medications and innovative therapies like peptides and GLP-1s, when appropriate.
Build resilience
By integrating individualized nutrition, movement, lifestyle and mindset strategies, we help you strengthen your foundation for long-term health, energy and vitality.
Serving Hillsborough and Burlingame and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Hillsborough and Burlingame, and throughout the Peninsula in San Mateo County.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Hillsborough and Burlingame: FAQs
I fly out of SFO for work a lot. Where can I be during a video visit?
Anywhere in Dr. Maren's five licensed states: California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan or Texas. Licensing rules tie each visit to where you physically are at that moment, so a work trip to Chicago, Denver, Detroit or Austin is fine, while a stay in New York or Seattle is not. Planning follow-ups around your travel calendar keeps your care on track.
Can a functional medicine doctor prescribe hormone therapy?
It depends on the doctor's license. Dr. Maren is a board-certified family physician as well as a certified functional medicine practitioner, so she can prescribe bioidentical estrogen, progesterone and testosterone when appropriate, along with thyroid medication and other treatments, and adjust them as your labs and symptoms change.
Is there a doctor near Burlingame who can help with perimenopause weight gain?
Yes. Dr. Maren treats weight and metabolic health for women in Burlingame and Hillsborough by telehealth. Her team checks insulin, glucose and other metabolic markers, then focuses on muscle, protein and sleep, adding GLP-1 therapy when appropriate. The aim is better body composition and steadier energy, not a crash diet.
I already take hormones prescribed by another doctor. Can Dr. Maren review them?
Yes. Have your current prescriptions and recent labs ready for your first visit. Dr. Maren reviews the type, dose and route of your hormones alongside your symptoms and history, and weighs risk against benefit before suggesting any change. Sometimes the answer is an adjustment, and sometimes it is looking harder at thyroid, gut or sleep.
How do I become a patient in Hillsborough?
Start with the brief online application. If it looks like a good fit, you will get an email inviting you to book a complimentary discovery call with the team. If it is a match, you will be scheduled for a 90-minute initial case review and an initial nutrition consultation, all by video from home in Hillsborough.
Do you accept insurance?
We do not contract with insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. This allows us to provide personalized, unhurried care without the limitations of insurance-based models. However, the vast majority of patients use their insurance to cover conventional lab work, and many also use HSA or FSA funds to pay for our services.
Can Dr. Maren be my primary care doctor?
No. The practice functions as a specialty consulting service. You will still need a primary care provider near Hillsborough for general medical needs, physical exams and urgent issues like infections or injuries.
Ready to feel like yourself again, only better?
Dr. Maren and her team see women in Hillsborough and Burlingame and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.