Parathyroid Hormone: What It Does, How It Affects Your Bones and Blood

When your body needs more parathyroid hormone, a key regulator of calcium in the blood produced by four tiny glands behind the thyroid. Also known as PTH, it’s the main reason your bones don’t turn brittle and your muscles don’t cramp unexpectedly. This hormone doesn’t just float around doing nothing — it’s constantly checking your blood calcium levels and deciding whether to pull calcium from your bones, tell your kidneys to hold onto more of it, or wake up your gut to absorb more from food.

When things go wrong, the effects are real. Too much parathyroid hormone, often caused by an overactive parathyroid gland can lead to osteoporosis, kidney stones, and constant fatigue. Too little — usually from surgery, autoimmune issues, or low magnesium — leaves you with tingling fingers, muscle spasms, and even seizures in severe cases. These aren’t rare edge cases. One in eight women over 50 has primary hyperparathyroidism, and many don’t know it because their symptoms look like aging or stress.

The parathyroid glands, small, pea-sized organs that sit behind the thyroid don’t get much attention, but they’re the silent managers of your mineral balance. They work with vitamin D and calcitonin to keep calcium in a tight range — between 8.5 and 10.2 mg/dL. If your doctor checks your calcium and it’s high, they’ll almost always check your PTH next. If calcium is low and PTH is also low? That’s a different problem entirely. It’s not just about calcium — magnesium levels, kidney function, and even certain medications can throw off this whole system.

What you’ll find in the posts below isn’t a textbook. It’s real-world info from people who’ve dealt with abnormal PTH levels, doctors who’ve seen the patterns, and studies that cut through the noise. You’ll see how PTH imbalances show up in blood tests, how they connect to bone loss and kidney issues, and what treatments actually help — from surgery to simple supplements. No fluff. Just what matters when your body’s calcium balance is off.

Vitamin D and Endocrine Health: What You Need to Know About Targets and Supplementation

Vitamin D is more than a bone vitamin - it's a hormone that regulates calcium, insulin, immunity, and blood pressure. Learn who needs supplementation, why levels don't always explain symptoms, and what the latest science says about its role in endocrine health.