Virtual care for women in Highland Park
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Highland Park, IL
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Highland Park?
Highland Park women who want answers, not reassurance, can see Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., by telehealth. She is a board-certified family physician (ABFM) who completed Institute for Functional Medicine certification (FMCP-M) and earned The Menopause Society's MSCP credential. She treats thyroid disease and Hashimoto's, perimenopause and menopause, autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, and weight and metabolic changes, with bioidentical HRT when it is appropriate.
Hearing that your labs are normal when you feel exhausted, puffy, foggy or simply not like yourself is its own kind of frustrating. You are not imagining it. Normal ranges are wide, and a basic panel can miss what a fuller workup catches. Dr. Maren looks at thyroid antibodies, hormones, gut health, nutrients and metabolic markers together, then explains what she finds in plain English. From the ravines near the lake to the neighborhoods west of Route 41, Highland Park women can start that deeper look with a video visit.
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 Highland Park?
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 Highland Park 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 Highland Park?
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 Highland Park or wherever you are in Illinois.
Test and personalize
Conventional blood work happens at a lab near you in Lake County, and Dr. Maren's team reviews every result with you, including the ones flagged 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 Highland Park and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in Illinois does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Highland Park, and throughout the North Shore.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Highland Park: FAQs
My TSH came back normal, but I still feel hypothyroid. Can Dr. Maren look deeper?
Yes. TSH alone can miss part of the picture, so Dr. Maren orders a complete thyroid panel with antibodies to check for Hashimoto's. She also checks nutrient levels and gut health, since everything is connected. If medication is appropriate, she can prescribe T4, T3 or a combination, adjusted to your symptoms and labs.
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.
My doctor says my symptoms are just part of getting older. Should I look deeper?
Yes, if you feel something is off. Your doctor may be right that nothing dangerous is going on, but that is not the same as knowing why you feel this way. Dr. Maren's goal is different: not only ruling out disease, but finding the root cause of your fatigue, weight change or brain fog and building a plan to address it.
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 already see an endocrinologist. Can Dr. Maren still help?
Yes. Dr. Maren's care is designed to complement your specialists, not compete with them. She adds a wider lens, including gut health, nutrition, sleep, strength and hormones through the menopause transition, while your endocrinologist continues the care they provide. Her team coordinates with them so any medication change is made together.
How do I become a patient in Highland Park?
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 Highland Park.
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 Highland Park 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 Highland Park and across Illinois by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.