You may be familiar with estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone’s roles in reproduction. But your body’s hormones are major players in your overall health and wellbeing, and hold a much more significant role that extends well beyond just periods and pregnancy.

Hormones are chemical messengers that carry vital communication between glands, organs, and other hormones throughout your body. Dr. Lindsey Berkson describes hormones as a "sophisticated email system," dropping off messages and instructions to target cells throughout the body.

After a hormone is produced, it travels through your bloodstream to find a target cell. A target cell is a cell that has a receptor for a specific hormone, meaning it can "receive" a hormone signal. When a hormone arrives at a target cell, it nestles into the cell receptor and delivers its message. It's this message that directs a cell on what to do.

Now get this: Hormone receptors are found in every cell of your body, which means that hormones deliver important messages to all cells throughout your body. So hormones are pretty important, right?

Here’s a snapshot of just some of the roles hormones play throughout your body:

• In the brain, hormones protect nerves and support memory, mood, motivation, sleep, temperature regulation, and cognitive function. They also increase serotonin, the number of serotonin receptors, and other "feel good" neurotransmitters.
• In the cardiovascular system, hormones, particularly estrogen, protect the health of blood vessels - regulating cholesterol and concentrations of several clotting factors while speeding up the rate at which clots dissolve.
• In the immune system, hormones act as regulators, maintaining a healthy balance of pro-inflammatory molecules with anti-inflammatory molecules.
• In the skin, hormones work with other molecules to build and maintain collagen and hyaluronic acid, which retain moisture and elasticity.
• In the musculoskeletal system, hormones work with calcium, vitamin D, and other minerals to build new bone tissue and remove old, brittle bone. They also support the health of muscles, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue.
• In the genitourinary system, hormones help to maintain the health of the vagina, bladder, kidneys, and the urethra and protect against overactive bladder syndrome.

While most women in perimenopause and menopause will experience symptoms like hot flashes, sleep issues, and mood changes, the physiological changes that result from a drop in hormone levels are even more prevalent. Hormones play a protective role in the body, and when hormones decline, a woman’s body is at much higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, metabolic disease, and other conditions.

Many women look forward to a life without periods, but lower hormone levels come with other (sometimes challenging) realities. The average life expectancy for women today in the United States is around 78 years, meaning that women who live to this age will live 30 to 40 years in a hormone-deficient state. Many of the health issues related to hormonal decline won’t show up until later down the line.

Of course, recognizing that these changes are natural and inevitable doesn’t mean relinquishing control of your life. In fact, being proactive and facing this next phase with curiosity (like you are now) is a great way to stay empowered.

During perimenopause and menopause, you actually have a lot more control over your symptoms and experience than you may expect.

Symptoms provide a window into your body's "behind the scenes" happenings, and as your hormones continue to change, so will your symptoms. Since there’s no definitive test to determine whether you’re in perimenopause or menopause, symptom tracking is your best gauge.

Considering many of us can't even remember what we ate yesterday, it’s important to actually write down or log your symptoms. An assessment tool like the rē•spin Symptom Tracker can help track symptoms more accurately over days, weeks, and months.

This daily tracker is a great supportive tool for your health journey. If you choose to work with a menopause provider, having a detailed picture of your symptoms on hand will better equip you both. And, if you explore treatment, your tracker can also help you evaluate whether a specific treatment is working or needs fine-tuning.

Next week, we’ll uncover even more tips for taking charge and navigating this new phase.