Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan Perspective
Key Findings
Females: endogenous creatine stores 70-80% lower than males; creatine kinetics and phosphocreatine resynthesis change with hormones, so supplementation may be particularly important during menses, pregnancy, post-partum, and during/after menopause
Premenopause: creatine supplementation appears effective for improving strength and exercise performance
Postmenopause: benefits in skeletal-muscle size and function at high doses (0.3 g/kg/day), and favourable effects on bone when combined with resistance training (link to REF-522 bone, REF-523 postmenopause)
Mood/cognition: pre-clinical and clinical evidence of positive effects, possibly by restoring brain energy levels and homeostasis; may be even more effective in females via a pro-energetic brain environment
Dosing: the abstract names only the high postmenopausal dose (0.3 g/kg/day); Not from this paper: the standard 3-5 g/day maintenance dose is in REF-060
Practical Application
Narrative review from the leading creatine group: females carry 70-80% less endogenous creatine than males; pre-menopause supplementation appears to improve strength and exercise performance, post-menopause high doses (0.3 g/kg/day) benefit muscle size and function and, with resistance training, bone; mood and cognition may benefit, possibly more so in females. Creatine is not a "male supplement" — the case is if anything stronger for women.
Not from this paper: for dose, monohydrate at the standard 3-5 g/day per REF-060; the review's 0.3 g/kg/day is the postmenopausal muscle/bone protocol
Postmenopause: consider combining creatine + resistance training for muscle AND bone (see REF-522, REF-523)
Not from this paper: some water-weight gain on starting creatine is expected (REF-352 names the shift, with no kg figure) — it is water, not fat (the same caveat as for men)
Pregnancy: the review flags it as a period where creatine may matter, but supplementation in pregnancy is a medical question — only in agreement with a physician
Limitations
Narrative review, not a meta-analysis of effect sizes
Female creatine RCTs are few (the review itself emphasises that evidence in females is understudied)
Some conclusions (brain/mood) are from clinical/non-sport populations
How this entry was checked and changed
Content correction 2026-09-27
Lead bullet "creatine monohydrate 3-5 g/day — the same efficacy as in men" -> the abstract does not compare efficacy with men or give 3-5 g/day; the lead now carries the review's own claims, and 3-5 g/day and the 1-2 kg water weight are pointed to REF-060/REF-352.
Added the abstract's list of hormone-sensitive periods (menses, pregnancy, post-partum, menopause) and the "understudied in females" framing.
2026-09-30: the ~1-2 kg water weight and the 3-5 g/day dose were pointed to REF-352, whose 2026-09-27 correction removed both from it (not in its abstract); the dose now points to REF-060 only, and the water weight is qualitative.