Virtual care for women in Barrington
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Barrington, IL
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Barrington?
Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., provides telehealth care to women in Barrington, Barrington Hills, South Barrington, Inverness, North Barrington and Lake Barrington. Board-certified in family medicine through the ABFM, she is also an IFM-certified functional medicine physician (FMCP-M) and holds the MSCP credential in menopause care. Her focus is perimenopause and menopause, PCOS and hormone imbalances, gut health and weight or blood sugar problems, with bioidentical HRT offered when appropriate.
Around Barrington, forest preserve trails and open land make it easy to spend your days outside, as long as your body keeps up. Dr. Maren's care leans into what keeps you capable for everything you want to do: muscle, steady blood sugar, restorative sleep and balanced hormones, with hormone therapy added when it is right for you. If you have started to feel weaker, wearier or not quite yourself, a video visit from home is the place to start.
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 Barrington?
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 Barrington 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 Barrington?
Apply online
Share your symptoms and goals in a brief application. The team confirms you are located in Illinois 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 Barrington or wherever you are in Illinois.
Test and personalize
Blood work is drawn at a lab in the northwest suburbs, so there is no trip into the city, and every result is reviewed with you closely. 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 Barrington and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in Illinois does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Barrington, Barrington Hills, South Barrington, Inverness, North Barrington and Lake Barrington, and throughout the northwest suburbs.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Barrington: FAQs
Does Dr. Maren see women in Barrington Hills, Inverness and Lake Barrington?
Yes. Barrington Hills, Inverness, Lake Barrington, North Barrington and South Barrington are all included, along with the village itself. Every visit happens by video, labs are drawn close to home, and one physician-led team manages your plan from start to finish, so your care is the same in every one of these communities.
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.
Will Dr. Maren coordinate with the doctors I already see in the northwest suburbs?
Yes. Her care works alongside your primary care doctor, gynecologist and specialists rather than taking their place. Her team can share results and plans so everyone works from the same information, and any change to your medications is coordinated with the doctors you already trust.
Do I need to be in Illinois during my visits?
Yes. State licensing laws require you to be physically located in Illinois, or in another state where Dr. Maren is licensed (California, Colorado, Michigan and Texas), at the time of each video visit.
I'm 50 and lifting weights for the first time. Can Dr. Maren help me build strength?
Yes. Building and keeping muscle sits at the center of Dr. Maren's approach to midlife health, and she lifts heavy herself. Her team pairs strength training with protein-centric nutrition, sleep and, when appropriate, hormone therapy, and treats body composition, not the number on the scale, as the measure that matters.
How do I become a patient in Barrington?
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 Barrington.
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 Barrington 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 Barrington and across Illinois by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.