Virtual care for women in Los Gatos
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Los Gatos, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Los Gatos?
Licensed in California and based in Colorado, Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., cares for Los Gatos women entirely by telehealth. Her three certifications are ABFM board certification in family medicine, the FMCP-M, awarded by the Institute for Functional Medicine, and The Menopause Society's MSCP. She treats perimenopause and menopause, thyroid disease including Hashimoto's, PCOS, gut problems and inflammation, and prescribes bioidentical hormone therapy only when it is right for you.
Living at the edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains has its own math. If home is up Highway 17 or on a ridge road above town, every appointment in the valley means winding miles down and back, and in a wet winter that drive is nobody's idea of self-care. Video visits take it off the table. You can meet with Dr. Maren's team from your kitchen in Los Gatos or your place in the hills, then spend the time you saved on the Los Gatos Creek Trail or around Vasona Lake. Feeling like yourself again should not depend on the commute.
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 Gatos?
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 Gatos 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 Gatos?
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 Gatos or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
Blood for your conventional labs can be drawn in Los Gatos or elsewhere in Santa Clara County, and the team reviews every result with you thoroughly. 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 Gatos and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Los Gatos, and throughout the Santa Cruz Mountains foothills of Silicon Valley.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Los Gatos: FAQs
I live up Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Can I still be a patient?
Yes. As long as you are in California during your visits, it does not matter whether home is in downtown Los Gatos or up a ridge road above town. Visits happen on video, so a reliable connection matters more than distance, and conventional labs can be drawn at whichever lab is easiest to reach on your schedule.
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 it perimenopause or my thyroid?
It can be either, or both. Fatigue, weight gain, low mood, hair changes and irregular cycles overlap between the two, and Hashimoto's often first shows up in women's 30s and 40s. Dr. Maren orders a complete thyroid workup, antibodies included, along with sex hormones and metabolic markers, so the answer comes from data rather than a guess.
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.
Should I be thinking about bone density in my 50s?
Yes. Bone loss speeds up in the years around menopause as estrogen falls. Strength training, enough protein, vitamin D and, when appropriate, hormone therapy all support your bones. Dr. Maren can review your risk factors and coordinate with your local doctors for a bone density scan when it makes sense.
How do I become a patient in Los Gatos?
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 Gatos.
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 Gatos 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 Gatos and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.