Creatine: Female Health & Beyond
Article by Grace Rawlings
Let’s talk about creatine, one of the most widely researched and commonly used dietary sports supplements, and science is showing it could have many benefits to women across all life stages. However, despite the large body of research on creatine, only recently have women started to be the focus of this research.
What is Creatine
Creatine is a compound made naturally in our bodies. Its job is to provide energy to our muscles by helping produce and maintain ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the energy currency of our cells. Our cells can use up ATP quickly during short bursts of activity or brainstorming tasks and creatine helps to recycle ATP, ensuring there is enough energy to fuel the body and brain.
How much creatine do I need?
Creatine is naturally made in the body but can also be found in animal-derived foods, specifically meat, fish and poultry. Plant-based foods, however, contain little creatine, making it hard for vegetarians, vegans and anyone eating a mainly plant-based diet to get enough. For this reason, many people choose to top up their levels with a creatine supplement.
Creatine-rich foods:
Herring
Red Meat
Chicken
Salmon
Tuna
While there’s no official recommended daily amount, experts suggest we need about 2 grams of creatine a day (based on a 70 kg male). A typical animal-based diet supplies around half of that, with around 1 gram a day produced in the body.
While the body can make creatine on its own naturally, the amount produced is relatively small and might not be enough to meet the demands of high-intensity exercise or intense physical activity. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), a daily creatine maintenance dose of 3–5 grams of creatine monohydrate (creatine supplement) is enough for most people to maximize the creatine stores in their muscles.
A recent study showed that women tend to have lower natural creatine stores than men, around 70-80% less, mostly due to reduced consumption of these creatine-rich foods. Perhaps supplementation of creatine could support women in meeting these recommended amounts.
Benefits of Creatine
Creatine is fast emerging as a key nutrient to support muscle and brain health, especially as we age. Key benefits include:
Improve exercise performance
Enhance muscle recovery
Support bone health
Improve cognitive function (brain health)
Support female health: Menstruation, Pregnancy and Menopause
Limited research explores creatine's impact on female reproductive health at the population level. However, studies have started to indicate how the hormonal changes in women influence creatine dynamics, emphasizing its potential importance during menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, and post menopause.
Female Health: Menstruation, Pregnancy and Menopause
Menstruation
Throughout the phases of the menstrual cycle, shifts in hormones like oestrogen and progesterone affect the body’s natural creatine levels. Supplementing creatine could help to keep levels more consistent thought the cycle.
Studies show 3-5g/day can improve muscle strength, exercise performance and even support mood and cognition. Women tend to have lower baseline creatine stores, so supplementation can help fill that gap. Creatine supplementation was found to accelerate recovery and boost ATP production in a small study of female students. However, more research linking creatine supplementation and recovery is needed.
Pregnancy
Creatine has been used by bodybuilders for decades and is looking to be beneficial to pregnant women who are quite literally ‘body building’. Creatine requirements skyrocket during pregnancy to help mum and baby with stress during times like labour. Again, further research is needed to support the use of creatine supplementation during pregnancy.
Animal and early human data suggest creatine supports energy demands and may have neuroprotective effects for the baby – but research in humans is still limited. Dietary sources are safe, but supplements aren’t routinely recommended just yet.
Menopause
Natural creatine stores in women decline with age and hormonal changes. Research is suggesting that creatine can potentially support women’s health, especially during perimenopause and menopause by supporting brain function and enhancing muscle mass and bone strength.
Creatine (alone or with resistance training) may help maintain muscle, bone health, and cognitive function as oestrogen declines. Higher doses – up to 0.3g/kg/day – have shown benefits in postmenopausal women.
A recently published 2-year randomized controlled study combining creatine supplementation and resistance training suggested that creatine could improve muscle strength, exercise performance, and body composition, particularly when combined with resistance training.
Key Take Aways
Creatine, long known for its role in sports performance, is now gaining recognition as a powerful nutrient for women’s health across all life stages. While research has historically focused on men, emerging evidence highlights creatine’s potential to support energy production, cognitive function, muscle and bone health, and hormonal balance in women — especially during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause. With women typically having lower natural creatine stores and often consuming less through diet, supplementation could offer meaningful health benefits. As science continues to evolve, creatine may prove to be beneficial not just for athletes, but for everyday women's health and wellbeing.
References
Healthspan, 2025. What is creatine and what does it do? Benefits beyond the gym [online] Available at: https://www.healthspan.co.uk/advice/body/what-is-creatine-benefits/ [Accessed 10 Aug. 2025]
Women’s Health, 2024. What does creatine do for women? Benefits, side effects, and how to use the supplement [online] Available at: https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a44716483/creatine-for-women/ [Accessed 10 Aug. 2025]
Buford, T.W., Kreider, R.B., Stout, J.R., Greenwood, M., Campbell, B., Spano, M., Ziegenfuss, T., Lopez, H., Landis, J. and Antonio, J., 2007. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: creatine supplementation and exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 4(1), p.6.
Vandenberghe, K., Goris, M., Van Hecke, P., Van Leemputte, M., Vangerven, L. and Hespel, P., 1997. Long-term creatine intake is beneficial to muscle performance during resistance training. Journal of applied physiology, 83(6), pp.2055-2063.
Smith-Ryan, A.E., DelBiondo, G.M., Brown, A.F., Kleiner, S.M., Tran, N.T. and Ellery, S.J., 2025. Creatine in women’s health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 22(1), p.2502094.
Smith-Ryan, A.E., Cabre, H.E., Eckerson, J.M. and Candow, D.G., 2021. Creatine supplementation in women’s health: a lifespan perspective. Nutrients, 13(3), p.877.
Ostojic, S.M., Stea, T.H., Ellery, S.J. and Smith‐Ryan, A.E., 2024. Association between dietary intake of creatine and female reproductive health: Evidence from NHANES 2017–2020. Food science & nutrition, 12(7), pp.4893-4898.
Grace Rawlings is a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr) with experience working as a school nutritionist, where she focused on educating young people about healthy eating habits. She’s particularly passionate about female health and how nutrition can support women through every life stage — from menstruation and hormonal balance, to fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and into perimenopause and menopause. As a qualified yoga teacher, she takes a holistic approach to wellbeing, blending movement, mindfulness, and science-backed nutrition.