Why More Women Are Taking Creatine: The Benefits for Muscle, Brain Health and Menopause

For decades, creatine lived firmly in the bodybuilding aisle. It was associated with protein shakers, weight rooms and men trying to gain muscle, while many women avoided it altogether, worried that taking creatine might make them bulky, heavier or bloated. 

That perception is changing rapidly. Creatine is increasingly being discussed not simply as a sports supplement, but as a potential tool for supporting women's strength, muscle function and healthy ageing, with researchers also investigating possible benefits for cognition, mood and the brain. 

Interest is particularly growing among women approaching perimenopause and menopause, a stage of life when maintaining muscle, strength and bone health becomes increasingly important. A major review specifically examining creatine across the female lifespan concluded that hormonal changes may influence creatine 

metabolism and that supplementation could have particular relevance during different reproductive stages and after menopause. 

So, has creatine been misunderstood by women for years? And should it now be considered alongside protein, resistance exercise, sleep and good nutrition as part of a healthy ageing strategy? 

The science is certainly interesting, although—as with most areas of nutrition—the answer is more nuanced than some social-media claims suggest. 

What is creatine? 

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made from amino acids. Our bodies produce it primarily in the liver and kidneys, and we also obtain creatine through foods including meat and fish. 

Most of the body's creatine is stored in skeletal muscle, where it helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP—the energy currency cells use to perform work. In simple terms, the phosphocreatine system provides a rapid reserve of energy when our muscles need to work hard. 

That explains why creatine has such a long history in sports nutrition. Increasing the amount of creatine available inside muscle can help people perform repeated bouts of high-intensity activity and, particularly when combined with resistance training, support improvements in strength and lean body mass. Creatine monohydrate is among the most extensively researched sports supplements available. 

But muscles are not the only organs with large energy demands.

The brain also uses enormous amounts of energy, which is one reason researchers have become increasingly interested in whether increasing creatine availability could affect cognitive performance and neurological health. 

Why are more women taking creatine now? 

Part of creatine's reinvention comes from a much wider conversation about women's health. 

Women are increasingly being encouraged to think about muscle as an important component of long-term health rather than simply something associated with appearance or athleticism. Maintaining strength becomes particularly relevant as we get older, while resistance training is now moving into the mainstream conversation around menopause and healthy ageing. 

Research examining creatine specifically in women has consequently expanded. A 2021 review published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition concluded that premenopausal women may experience improvements in strength and exercise performance with creatine supplementation, while postmenopausal women may potentially experience benefits relating to skeletal muscle size and function when creatine is combined with resistance training. 

A more recent review published in 2025 described growing evidence around women's health but also highlighted an important limitation: considerably more research is still needed, particularly in perimenopausal women. 

In other words, creatine has not suddenly acquired completely new properties. Instead, researchers are beginning to ask broader questions about a compound that has historically been studied predominantly through the lens of sports performance. 

What are the benefits of creatine for women?

Creatine may help women maintain muscle and strength

The strongest argument for creatine remains its relationship with skeletal muscle. 

Women typically have less absolute muscle mass than men, and maintaining muscle becomes increasingly important with age. Resistance training remains one of the most important interventions for preserving strength, but creatine may help enhance some of the adaptations produced by training. 

A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis examining creatine in postmenopausal women concluded that creatine—particularly doses of at least 5g per day when combined with resistance training—produced small but potentially meaningful improvements in lean mass and strength without evidence of harm. 

Creatine should not be thought of as something that simply builds muscle while you continue living exactly as before.

Its value appears considerably more compelling when it accompanies regular resistance exercise. 

Think of strength training as the stimulus and creatine as one possible nutritional tool that may support the body's response to that stimulus. 

Can creatine help during perimenopause and menopause? 

This is probably one of the reasons creatine has attracted so much attention from women recently. 

Menopause is associated with physiological changes that can affect muscle, bone and body composition. Maintaining adequate protein intake, participating in weight-bearing and resistance exercise, sleeping well and supporting overall metabolic health therefore become increasingly important. 

Creatine may eventually form another part of that toolkit. 

Research investigating postmenopausal women suggests that combining creatine with resistance training may support muscle mass and strength. However, researchers reviewing female-specific evidence in 2025 cautioned that direct evidence in perimenopausal women remains limited. 

That is an important reality check amid the current enthusiasm. 

There is good biological reasoning for researching creatine during menopause, and early findings are encouraging, but we should not jump from "promising" to "proven treatment for menopause symptoms". 

What about creatine and bone density? 

Bone health is another area where claims can get ahead of the science. 

One earlier 12-month trial involving postmenopausal women found that creatine combined with resistance training helped preserve femoral-neck bone mineral density and favourably affected aspects of bone geometry. 

However, subsequent research has been less conclusive. 

A two-year randomised controlled trial found that creatine combined with exercise did not improve bone mineral density overall, although some measures of bone geometry improved. Another long-term study involving postmenopausal women with osteopenia found no significant improvement in bone health from 3g of creatine per day. 

The latest evidence therefore suggests that creatine should not currently be viewed as a substitute for established bone-health strategies.

Resistance and impact exercise, adequate protein and nutrition, vitamin D and calcium where appropriate, avoiding smoking, moderating alcohol consumption and seeking medical assessment where osteoporosis risk is elevated remain much more important. 

Creatine may ultimately prove useful as part of a broader strategy, but the effect on bone density itself remains uncertain. 

Could creatine support brain health and cognitive function? 

This is where the creatine story becomes especially interesting. 

The brain requires a constant supply of energy, and researchers have been exploring whether increasing creatine availability could improve the brain's ability to meet particularly demanding situations. 

A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that creatine monohydrate supplementation may have beneficial effects on aspects of cognitive function including memory, attention and processing speed, while also emphasising that larger high-quality trials are still required. 

The evidence does not suggest that taking a scoop of creatine automatically makes a healthy, well-rested person noticeably more intelligent. 

Where the story becomes particularly interesting is during periods when the brain is under greater energetic stress. 

Creatine, tiredness and sleep deprivation 

Anyone navigating work, family life, hormonal changes and disrupted sleep will understand why this area has attracted attention. 

Research published as far back as 2006 found that creatine supplementation following 24 hours of sleep deprivation had beneficial effects on some cognitive tasks and mood measures. 

More recently, controlled research has found improvements in cognitive performance and processing speed during sleep deprivation after creatine administration, reinforcing the hypothesis that creatine may become particularly relevant when the brain's energy demands are challenged. 

Intriguingly, a 2026 study examining a single dose during sleep deprivation reported reduced deterioration in several cognitive tasks, with female participants appearing to experience greater benefits than males in some measures. 

As Jordan Glenn, PhD, Head of Science at SuppCo, told us:

“What we’re seeing is not creatine turning people into super-performers, but helping the brain cope better when energy demand is high. That distinction is really important.” 

This is fascinating research, but it should not be interpreted as a reason to replace sleep with creatine. Sleep remains fundamental to health. 

Does creatine cause weight gain? 

This remains one of the biggest concerns among women considering creatine. 

Creatine can cause an increase in body weight, particularly when somebody first begins taking it, because increasing muscle creatine can also increase the amount of water held within muscle cells. 

That is very different from gaining body fat. 

As Jordan Glenn explains: 

“The early weight change people see with creatine is almost always water stored inside the muscle, not fat gain. It’s a physiological shift, not a negative one.” 

For women who regularly weigh themselves, it is worth understanding this before starting supplementation. A small change on the scales does not automatically mean body composition has worsened. 

Will creatine make women bulky? 

No. Creatine cannot magically create large muscles. 

Meaningful increases in muscle require progressive resistance training, adequate nutrition, recovery, genetics, time and an appropriate hormonal environment. 

Creatine can support training adaptations, but it does not transform a woman's body overnight. 

How much creatine should women take? 

For most healthy adults, 3–5g of creatine monohydrate per day is the commonly researched maintenance range. 

Some sports protocols use a loading phase, but this is not essential. Consistency matters more than timing. 

What is the best type of creatine? 

Creatine monohydrate remains the most extensively researched form.

Despite marketing claims around newer formats, there is no strong evidence that alternative forms consistently outperform it. 

Creatine powder versus creatine gummies 

This is where product quality becomes especially important. 

In independent testing conducted by SuppCo, five creatine powders and six creatine gummy products were analysed. All powders met label claims, while several gummies failed to deliver the stated amount of creatine. 

This is not a clinical trial, but it highlights a key issue: format and branding do not guarantee quality. 

Is creatine safe? 

Creatine has a strong safety profile in healthy adults when used at recommended doses. 

A 2025 systematic review found that while creatine may increase blood creatinine levels, it does not appear to impair kidney filtration in healthy individuals. 

People with kidney disease or relevant medical conditions should seek medical advice before use. 

The bigger picture 

Perhaps the most interesting thing about creatine is not the supplement itself, but what it represents. 

Women are increasingly shifting the conversation from weight loss to strength, resilience and long-term health. 

Creatine may be one small part of that shift—but it is not the foundation. 

That still belongs to movement, nutrition, sleep and the everyday choices that support a strong, capable body across the lifespan. 

As Jordan Glenn puts it: 

“Creatine is not a shortcut. It’s a support tool. The real driver of change is still training, nutrition and consistency.”

Scientific research and further reading 

Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective — Smith-Ryan et al., Nutrients, 2021. A comprehensive review looking at creatine through menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, muscle health, mood and cognition. 

Creatine in women's health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause — 2025 review examining the evolving female-specific evidence and areas where further research is needed. 

Creatine monohydrate for lean mass, strength, and bone outcomes in postmenopausal women — 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis examining body composition, strength and bone outcomes. 

Effects of Creatine and Resistance Training on Bone Health in Postmenopausal Women — Chilibeck et al., 2015. 

A 2-year Randomized Controlled Trial on Creatine Supplementation During Exercise for Postmenopausal Bone Health — Chilibeck et al., 2023. 

The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults — 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis examining memory, attention and processing speed. 

Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation — Gordji-Nejad et al., 2024. 

Effect of creatine supplementation on kidney function: a systematic review and meta-analysis — 2025 evidence review examining serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate. 

Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? — Antonio et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2021. 

This article is for educational purposes and should not replace individual medical advice. If you have kidney disease, take medication affecting kidney function, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have another medical condition, speak to an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before starting a new supplement.