Virtual care for women in Los Angeles
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Los Angeles, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Los Angeles?
Women across Los Angeles, from the Eastside to the Westside and the Valley, can see Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., by telehealth. She is board-certified in family medicine (ABFM), holds the FMCP-M credential from the Institute for Functional Medicine, and is a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP). With her physician-led team, she treats perimenopause and menopause, prescribes bioidentical HRT when appropriate, and looks into Hashimoto's, SIBO and insulin resistance.
Seeing a specialist in Los Angeles usually means planning around the drive. An appointment on the far side of the 405 or the 101 can take an afternoon you do not have, with work, kids and everyone else's schedule still waiting. Dr. Maren is licensed in California and sees patients by video from Colorado, so there is no freeway between you and your care. Join from home or any quiet room in the city, and give that hour to your health instead of to traffic. If something has felt off for a while, this is a practical place to start.
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 Los Angeles?
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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles?
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 Los Angeles or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
Conventional labs are drawn at a lab in your part of Los Angeles, and your care team then walks through every result with 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 Los Angeles and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Los Angeles.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Los Angeles: FAQs
Does Dr. Maren see women in the San Fernando Valley?
Yes. Dr. Maren sees women all over Los Angeles, and Valley neighborhoods like Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino and Woodland Hills are no exception. Because visits are virtual, it makes no difference which side of the hill you live on, and you never have to cross the Sepulveda Pass for an appointment.
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.
How do appointments fit into a busy Los Angeles workweek?
Without a commute. Every visit is a video call, so you can join from home or a private room at work and get back to your day with no parking, no traffic and no waiting room. For the first appointment, pick a time when you can speak openly, because that is when your full history is reviewed.
Do I need to be in California during my visits?
Yes. State licensing laws require you to be physically located in California, or in another state where Dr. Maren is licensed (California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan and Texas), at the time of each video visit.
I'm 42 and my cycles are still regular. Could this be perimenopause?
Yes. Perimenopause can begin years before periods change much, and the early signs are easy to blame on stress: lighter sleep, a shorter fuse, new anxiety, brain fog or weight that suddenly settles around the middle. Dr. Maren looks at your symptoms alongside hormone, thyroid and metabolic testing, so you are not left guessing what is driving them.
How do I become a patient in Los Angeles?
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 Los Angeles.
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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.