Virtual care for women in Newport Beach
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Newport Beach, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Newport Beach?
Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., holds three certifications that matter for midlife women in Newport Beach: board certification in family medicine (ABFM), functional medicine certification from the Institute for Functional Medicine (FMCP-M), and MSCP status from The Menopause Society. She sees women there by telehealth, treating perimenopause and menopause with bioidentical HRT when appropriate, as well as Hashimoto's, gut problems like SIBO and H. pylori, and autoimmune conditions.
Newport Beach is a city organized around the water, from paddling the harbor to walking the Back Bay loop or swimming off Corona del Mar. When fatigue, achy joints or bloating start cutting into that time outside, you want a doctor who looks for the reason. Dr. Maren has more than a decade of clinical experience, and her time at Dr. Amy Myers' Austin UltraHealth clinic in Texas was spent on complex autoimmune, thyroid and gut cases. She brings that depth to every plan, by video, and builds it around getting you back to the things you love doing.
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 Newport Beach?
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 Newport Beach 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 Newport Beach?
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 Newport Beach or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
Conventional blood work is drawn close to home in coastal Orange County, and your care team goes over the full picture with you afterward. 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 Newport Beach and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Newport Beach, and throughout the Orange County coast.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Newport Beach: FAQs
Is there a certified menopause specialist serving Newport Beach?
Yes. Dr. Christine Maren holds the MSCP credential from The Menopause Society and is licensed in California, so she can care for Newport Beach women by telehealth. Her care spans perimenopause through postmenopause, with hormone therapy when appropriate and attention to the sleep, mood, weight and gut changes that often come with it.
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.
Does Dr. Maren treat Hashimoto's?
Yes. Hashimoto's is personal for Dr. Maren, who has dealt with it herself, and it is one of her core areas. Testing includes TSH, free thyroid hormones and thyroid antibodies, and treatment can pair thyroid medication (T4, T3 or both) when appropriate with gut, nutrient and lifestyle work aimed at the autoimmune side.
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.
Can Dr. Maren prescribe GLP-1 medication for weight?
Yes. When it is appropriate for you, GLP-1 therapy, including microdosing, can be part of a plan for insulin resistance and midlife weight gain, but it is not meant to be the whole plan. Dr. Maren pairs it with protein-focused nutrition, strength training to protect muscle, sleep and hormone care, and she weighs the risks and benefits with you first.
How do I become a patient in Newport Beach?
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 Newport Beach.
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 Newport Beach 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 Newport Beach and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.