Virtual care for women in Northbrook
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Northbrook, IL
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Northbrook?
Northbrook women can get functional medicine and menopause care from Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., through telehealth visits that fit around a full life. Her three credentials are ABFM board certification in family medicine, IFM certification as an FMCP-M, and the Menopause Society Certified Practitioner designation (MSCP). She treats perimenopause, hormone imbalances, thyroid and gut problems, and midlife metabolic changes, offering bioidentical HRT when it is right for you.
Northbrook calendars tend to be built around the Metra schedule or Tri-State traffic, with everyone else's needs filling the gaps. Somewhere in there your sleep, energy and patience start slipping, and you file it under stress. Dr. Maren sees it differently. Perimenopause, thyroid changes and gut issues can surface in these same years, and they deserve real testing, not a guess. Video visits let you sort it out from home, squeezed between everyone else's appointments.
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 Northbrook?
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 Northbrook 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 Northbrook?
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 Northbrook or wherever you are in Illinois.
Test and personalize
Your conventional labs are drawn at a lab near home in the north suburbs, then discussed with you in detail before your plan is set. 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 Northbrook and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in Illinois does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Northbrook, and throughout the North Shore suburbs.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Northbrook: FAQs
My hormone therapy isn't working as well as it used to. Should I have Dr. Maren review it?
Yes. Dr. Maren can look at your current hormone therapy alongside your symptoms, history and labs, then talk through whether the dose, form or combination still fits. Any change is made carefully and, where it helps, in coordination with the doctor who prescribed it. Sometimes the right move is no change at all.
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.
Where can I find integrative menopause care near Northbrook?
Dr. Christine Maren offers it by telehealth to women in Northbrook and across the north suburbs. As a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner who is also trained in functional medicine, she combines prescription options such as bioidentical HRT, when appropriate, with nutrition, strength training, sleep and gut care, so hormones are one part of a plan rather than the whole thing.
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.
Are my irritability and brain fog from perimenopause, or is it just stress?
It may be both, and testing helps sort it out. Perimenopause can bring irritability, poor focus and brain fog, but so can thyroid problems, low B12, unsteady blood sugar and short nights. Dr. Maren looks at all of these together, so you are not left guessing, and then treats what is actually driving your symptoms.
How do I become a patient in Northbrook?
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 Northbrook.
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 Northbrook 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 Northbrook and across Illinois by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.