Virtual care for women in Menlo Park and Atherton
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Menlo Park and Atherton, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Menlo Park and Atherton?
Women in Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley can reach Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., by video without leaving the Peninsula. She is an ABFM board-certified family physician, holds IFM certification (FMCP-M) and earned the Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) credential. Her practice centers on perimenopause and menopause, hormone therapy when appropriate, gut health and autoimmune conditions, each treated as part of one connected system.
The foothill trails above Woodside and Portola Valley are a good reminder of what you want your body to keep doing: climbing, recovering and sleeping soundly afterward. When perimenopause starts taking that away, with slower recovery, restless nights or weight that settles around your middle, it deserves more than a shrug. Dr. Maren lifts weights and hikes on her own time in Colorado, and she builds plans around strength, protein-centered nutrition, sleep and hormone therapy when appropriate. For women in Menlo Park and Atherton, every visit happens by video, which leaves more of the week for the trails themselves.
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 Menlo Park and Atherton?
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 Menlo Park and Atherton 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 Menlo Park and Atherton?
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 Menlo Park or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
Your conventional labs get drawn somewhere convenient in San Mateo County, and the team sits down with you on video to go through what they show. 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 Menlo Park and Atherton and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley, and throughout the Peninsula in San Mateo County.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Menlo Park and Atherton: FAQs
Does Dr. Maren see women in Woodside and Portola Valley?
Yes. With a California license and an all-telehealth practice, Dr. Maren sees women in Woodside and Portola Valley as easily as in Menlo Park or Atherton. Living up in the hills does not change your care: you join video visits from home and have conventional labs drawn wherever is most convenient for you.
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.
Can Dr. Maren help with an autoimmune condition alongside menopause symptoms?
Yes. Dr. Maren treats autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, and before opening her own practice, her work at Dr. Amy Myers' Austin UltraHealth clinic in Texas centered on complex autoimmune, thyroid and gut cases. Hormone shifts, gut health and immune activity influence one another, so her team looks at them together rather than handing you off piece by piece.
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.
Will Dr. Maren work with the doctors I already see on the Peninsula?
Yes. Her care is designed to complement your local doctors, not replace them. Dr. Maren's team can share findings with your primary care physician, gynecologist or specialists, and nothing you already take gets changed without a clear reason and good communication. You keep your local care and gain a deeper look at root causes.
How do I become a patient in Menlo Park?
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 Menlo Park.
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 Menlo Park 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 Menlo Park and Atherton and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.