Virtual care for women in Piedmont
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Piedmont, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Piedmont?
Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., is an osteopathic family physician with three credentials that matter in midlife: board certification from the ABFM, IFM certification as an FMCP-M, and the MSCP, earned through The Menopause Society. Through telehealth, she sees women in Piedmont and treats Hashimoto's and other thyroid conditions, perimenopause and menopause, autoimmune disease and gut problems, prescribing hormone therapy when appropriate.
Being told your results look fine is not the same as feeling fine. If you have left appointments with normal results, advice to sleep more and the same exhaustion you walked in with, Dr. Maren wants the whole story. She has been there herself, with Hashimoto's and pregnancy complications before functional medicine gave her answers. Her team looks at thyroid antibodies, nutrients, gut health and hormones, and meets you by video at home in Piedmont, so care does not depend on crossing Oakland or the Bay Bridge. You deserve an explanation, and a plan, for why you feel the way you do.
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 Piedmont?
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 Piedmont 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 Piedmont?
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 Piedmont or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
Conventional blood work is handled by a lab close to Piedmont, and Dr. Maren's team then goes through your results with you, connecting numbers to symptoms. 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 Piedmont and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Piedmont, and throughout the East Bay hills.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Piedmont: FAQs
Does Dr. Maren also see women in Oakland and Berkeley?
Yes. Piedmont sits entirely within Oakland, and Dr. Maren sees women across Oakland, Berkeley and the rest of the East Bay by telehealth, as she does throughout California. Your neighborhood makes no difference: care happens by video, and blood work is done at a lab convenient to 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.
Is there a Hashimoto's doctor near Piedmont who looks for the root cause?
Yes. Dr. Maren has dealt with Hashimoto's herself and treats it in women across the East Bay by telehealth. She checks a full thyroid panel with antibodies, then looks at gut health, nutrients and inflammation alongside it. Thyroid medication, whether T4, T3 or both, is part of the plan when appropriate, and progress is tracked against how you actually feel.
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 my Oakland doctors and Dr. Maren be on the same page?
Yes. Dr. Maren adds to your existing care instead of replacing it. The team can keep your primary care doctor, gynecologist or endocrinologist up to date on what testing shows, and any medication change is made with care. Everyone works from the same information, and you stay at the center of the decisions.
How do I become a patient in Piedmont?
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 Piedmont.
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 Piedmont 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 Piedmont and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.