Virtual care for women in Palo Alto
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Palo Alto, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Palo Alto?
For women in Palo Alto, Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., offers telehealth care backed by three certifications: family medicine board certification from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), the Institute for Functional Medicine's FMCP-M credential and The Menopause Society's MSCP. Her team looks for the root cause behind thyroid disease, PCOS, insulin resistance and the shifts of perimenopause, then builds your plan from your own data instead of a generic protocol.
Normal labs and a nagging sense that something is off can coexist for years. If a TSH in the normal range ended the conversation about your fatigue, weight or brain fog, Dr. Maren picks it up from there. Her approach is to test rather than guess: a full thyroid panel with antibodies, sex hormones, metabolic markers, nutrients and gut health, read alongside your history. Appointments happen on video, so you are not squeezing a drive down El Camino between meetings. You bring what you have been living with, and her team brings the clinical depth to connect it.
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 Palo Alto?
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 Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto?
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 Palo Alto or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
Blood work is drawn at a conventional lab in or near Palo Alto, and the team then reviews every marker with you in detail, including the ones flagged as normal. 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 Palo Alto and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Palo Alto, and throughout the Peninsula at the north end of Silicon Valley.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Palo Alto: FAQs
Is there a thyroid doctor near Palo Alto who looks beyond TSH?
Yes. Dr. Maren evaluates the thyroid with a full panel that includes antibodies, not TSH alone, and she treats Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism by telehealth for Palo Alto women. When medication is right for you, she can prescribe T4, T3 or both. She also looks at gut health and nutrient status, because your thyroid does not work on its own.
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 PCOS or insulin resistance, not just menopause?
Yes. PCOS and hormone imbalances are a core part of her practice, from irregular periods and androgen excess to estrogen dominance. Insulin resistance often travels with PCOS, so her team checks metabolic markers too, then shapes a plan from nutrition, strength training and, when appropriate, medication.
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.
My labs look fine but I still feel unwell. Will Dr. Maren look at mold or heavy metals?
Yes, when your history points that way. Testing can extend to mold exposure, heavy metals and other environmental toxins, alongside hormones, thyroid, gut and nutrients. Dr. Maren belongs to the International Society for Environmentally Acquired Illness, and she chooses tests based on your story rather than a default panel.
How do I become a patient in Palo Alto?
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 Palo Alto.
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 Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.