Virtual care for women in San Diego
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in San Diego, CA
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving San Diego?
Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., offers telehealth care to women across San Diego, including La Jolla, Point Loma, North Park and Rancho Bernardo. She is a board-certified family physician (ABFM) and an MSCP, and she earned her FMCP-M through the Institute for Functional Medicine. Her focus areas include perimenopause, menopause and bioidentical HRT when appropriate, along with Hashimoto's, gut health and insulin resistance.
San Diego is a big city to cross. Getting from Rancho Bernardo to Point Loma, or from Carmel Valley to Hillcrest, can turn a specialist appointment into most of an afternoon on the 15, the 805 or the 163. Maybe you have already done your reading and know you want to talk about hormone therapy. Maybe you only know that something is off. Dr. Maren meets you at either starting point, by video. She weighs risks and benefits with you, prescribes HRT when it is right for you, and looks at thyroid, gut and metabolic health along the way.
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 San Diego?
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 San Diego 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 San Diego?
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 San Diego or wherever you are in California.
Test and personalize
Routine blood work is drawn at a lab in your own corner of San Diego, and your results are then reviewed with you, carefully and in full. 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 San Diego and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in California does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in San Diego.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in San Diego: FAQs
Is there integrative menopause care in San Diego?
Yes. Dr. Christine Maren offers integrative menopause care to San Diego women by telehealth. She combines Menopause Society certification (MSCP) with functional medicine training, so hormone therapy when appropriate sits alongside nutrition, strength training, sleep, gut health and stress, rather than being the only tool in the plan.
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 it matter which part of San Diego I live in?
No. Dr. Maren sees women throughout San Diego by video, from La Jolla and Carmel Valley to Mission Hills and the communities along the 15. There is nothing to drive to, so your neighborhood makes no difference to the care you receive.
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 help if I have an autoimmune condition and menopause symptoms at the same time?
Yes. Autoimmune conditions and menopause can overlap in midlife, and each can change how the other feels. Dr. Maren looks at immune markers, thyroid, gut health and hormones together, then builds a plan that may include hormone therapy when appropriate, nutrition changes and steps to calm inflammation.
How do I become a patient in San Diego?
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 San Diego.
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 San Diego 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 San Diego and across California by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.