Virtual care for women in Houston
Functional Medicine & Menopause Doctor in Houston, TX
Who is a functional medicine and menopause doctor serving Houston?
For women in Houston who want real answers, Dr. Christine Maren, D.O., offers care by telehealth anywhere in the city. She is board-certified in family medicine (ABFM), holds the FMCP-M credential from the Institute for Functional Medicine, and The Menopause Society has certified her as a practitioner (MSCP). Her team treats perimenopause and menopause, Hashimoto's and other thyroid problems, gut issues such as SIBO, and insulin resistance, with bioidentical hormone therapy when it is right for you.
Houston is a city where crossing town can eat an afternoon. Getting from your side of the 610 Loop to a specialist on the other side, then parking and sitting in a waiting room, adds up fast when you are already running on poor sleep. Dr. Maren trained in Texas, with a family medicine residency in San Antonio at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa and later functional medicine work at Dr. Amy Myers' Austin UltraHealth clinic. Today she sees Houston women by video from Colorado, so your appointment happens wherever you have privacy and a good connection. The first step is a short application to see whether it is a fit.
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 Houston?
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 Houston 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 Houston?
Apply online
Share your symptoms and goals in a brief application. The team confirms you are located in Texas 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 Houston or wherever you are in Texas.
Test and personalize
Your conventional blood work is drawn at a lab near your home or work in Harris County, and the results are then walked through with you line by line. 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 Houston and nearby communities
Care is virtual, so where you live in Texas does not limit your options. Dr. Maren sees women in Houston.
Nearby communities
Helpful reading
Functional medicine and menopause care in Houston: FAQs
Can I fit appointments around a full workday in Houston?
Yes. Visits are by video, so there is no drive across town, no parking garage and no waiting room. You can take the call from a quiet room at home or from your parked car on a lunch break. Between visits, you message the care team through a secure portal instead of trading voicemails.
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 one doctor serving Houston who covers both functional medicine and menopause?
Yes. Dr. Christine Maren combines both. She is IFM-certified in functional medicine and a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, licensed in Texas, and her team sees Houston women by telehealth. Your hormones are considered alongside your thyroid, gut, metabolism and stress, rather than in separate appointments that never connect.
Do I need to be in Texas during my visits?
Yes. State licensing laws require you to be physically located in Texas, or in another state where Dr. Maren is licensed (California, Colorado, Illinois and Michigan), at the time of each video visit.
Will Dr. Maren coordinate with my doctors in Houston?
Yes. Her care is meant to complement your local physicians and specialists, not replace them. The team can coordinate with your other doctors so conventional and functional medicine work together, and any change to a medication you already take is made carefully and in step with the people who prescribed it.
How do I become a patient in Houston?
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 Houston.
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 Houston 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 Houston and across Texas by telehealth. Start with a brief application so we can understand your goals.