Creatine for women: strength, cognition and what the trials show

Most creatine research has been in men or mixed groups: a 2020 review found that only 9% of creatine studies enrolled only women [21]. A 2025 systematic review of creatine in active females notes that the reported performance benefit has been largely demonstrated in male populations [2]. A 2025 meta-analysis of 69 studies called for more well-powered trials in underrepresented groups, particularly women and older adults [4].

For that reason, this page reports only what trials that enrolled women, or that analyzed women separately, found. Creatine itself is covered in our creatine monograph and in What is creatine?.

In a 24-week trial in older women, both groups that did strength training had better muscle strength than the groups that did not, whether they took creatine or placebo [17].

Lean-mass effects also depended on exercise. A 2022 meta-analysis of 35 trials (1,192 participants) found that creatine combined with resistance training increased lean body mass by 1.10 kg, while creatine without exercise changed it by 0.03 kg, which was not statistically significant [5]. In postmenopausal women, benefits appeared in trials that combined 5 g a day or more with resistance training, while trials using 3 g a day or less without training showed no measurable effect [7].

The grade above comes from the creatine monograph, where a 2026 meta-analysis of 63 studies found that creatine with resistance training increased upper- and lower-body strength compared with training alone [6]. In women, the effect looks smaller and less certain.

A 2026 multilevel meta-analysis in females who exercise or train reviewed 34 studies (692 participants) and pooled 21 of them (424 participants) [1]. Creatine had a small positive overall effect (Hedges g = 0.23, a standardized effect size) and a performance effect of g = 0.30 [1]. The authors rated certainty as low for performance and very low overall, and concluded that the data suggest possible small effects on selected strength, power, high-intensity performance and lean-mass-related measures [1].

A 2025 systematic review of 27 studies in active females, from recreational to elite, found improvements over placebo in 3 of 11 studies of strength or power, 4 of 17 studies of anaerobic performance and 1 of 5 studies of aerobic performance [2]. Most of the included studies found no improvement over placebo, and most did not address female physiology in their methods [2].

In a 2024 meta-analysis of 23 studies of creatine with resistance training in adults under 50, men gained upper- and lower-body strength while women showed no significant gains; the difference between men and women in upper-body strength was a trend that did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.067) [3]. Two studies enrolled only women (40 participants) and one enrolled 9 women alongside men. One author serves on scientific advisory boards for the creatine makers Alzchem and Create [3]. A 2025 meta-analysis of 69 studies found benefits most consistent in younger adults and men, with smaller or non-significant changes in older adults and women on several outcomes; one author advises the creatine company Bear Balanced [4].

In older women, a 2021 meta-analysis of 10 trials (211 participants) found that creatine with resistance training increased upper-body strength (p = 0.04) but not lower-body strength [8]. In trials that lasted 24 weeks or more, both upper-body and lower-body strength increased compared with placebo, though the authors said higher-quality studies are needed to confirm this [8]. One author serves on the Alzchem scientific advisory board and has received creatine donations, and another previously advised a company that sold creatine [8].

The grade above comes from the creatine monograph and covers all adults. In women the evidence is weaker. In the 2022 meta-analysis of 35 trials, men taking creatine during resistance training gained 1.46 kg of lean body mass, compared with a non-significant 0.29 kg in women [5]. The 2026 female-specific meta-analysis found a body-composition effect of g = 0.24, but that model combined outcomes without a uniform favorable direction, and certainty was low [1]. The 2021 review of older women found no effect on measures of muscle mass [8].

In a 42-day randomized trial in 13 female college dancers (7 on creatine), total body water and estimated lean mass rose within the creatine group; the authors said larger trials with resistance training are needed to tell whether it increases muscle [12]. One author of that trial serves on the Alzchem scientific advisory board [12].

A 2026 meta-analysis of 7 randomized placebo-controlled trials (608 women randomized, mean age about 62, lasting 12-104 weeks) found that creatine increased lean mass by 0.37 kg and leg-press one-repetition maximum by 7.5 kg [7]. Bone density was unchanged overall, and adverse events were mild and similar to placebo [7]. Risk of bias was mostly rated "some concerns", and the review was not prospectively registered [7]. One author chairs a creatine advisory board supported by Alzchem, which also paid the remaining publication fee [7].

Two 2-year trials focused on bone. In a trial funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, 237 postmenopausal women (mean age 59) took creatine (0.14 g/kg a day) or placebo during a resistance training and walking program [9]. Creatine had no effect on bone mineral density or on bench press strength, but it improved some measures of bone shape at the hip and reduced walking time over 80 m [9]. Lean tissue mass rose more with creatine only in a sub-analysis of women who completed the trial [9].

In a double-blind trial co-funded by AlzChem, 200 postmenopausal women with osteopenia (low bone density, a clinical population) took 3 g of creatine monohydrate a day or placebo for 2 years [10]. Creatine did not improve bone health, lean mass or muscle function compared with placebo [10]; results may not apply to healthy women. An earlier meta-analysis of 5 trials (193 participants) in adults over 50 or postmenopausal noted that two trials reported bone benefits, but its pooled results showed no effect of creatine plus resistance training on bone density at any site measured, compared with training alone [11].

The memory grade above comes from mixed-sex research. A 2023 meta-analysis of 8 trials in healthy people found that creatine improved memory compared with placebo (standardized mean difference, SMD = 0.29), with the effect concentrated in adults aged 66-76 and close to zero in people aged 11-31 [15]. Sex did not influence the findings [15].

Trials in women alone are few and their results differ:

• In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 128 young women, 20 g of creatine a day for 5 days improved memory in vegetarians but not in meat eaters and made choice reaction times less variable in both groups; it did not change verbal fluency or vigilance [16].
• In a 24-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in apparently healthy older women, creatine (5 g four times a day for 5 days, then 5 g a day) did not change any measure of cognitive performance, with or without strength training [17].

Research in women at perimenopause

In a double-blind trial, 36 apparently healthy perimenopausal and menopausal women (mean age 50.1) were split into four groups: two doses of creatine hydrochloride, creatine hydrochloride plus creatine ethyl ester, or placebo; none took creatine monohydrate [18]. Only the 1,500 mg a day creatine hydrochloride group improved reaction time more than placebo over 8 weeks and raised creatine levels in the frontal brain [18]. A possible reduction in the severity of mood swings did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.06) [18].

In a trial funded by AlzChem, Create and WHOOP, 51 perimenopausal women (mean age 46) were randomized to creatine, placebo or a non-training control group, and the creatine and placebo groups did 6 weeks of high-intensity resistance training [19]. Stroop reaction time improved over time in all groups with no difference between them [19]. In what the authors called an exploratory analysis, creatine with training was associated with greater oxygen levels in the front of the brain, more consistent sleep and fewer self-reported days of temperature sensitivity compared with placebo [19].

A cross-sectional study of 12 healthy perimenopausal women, whose first author serves on an AlzChem advisory board and co-owns creatine patents, found lower brain creatine than reference values in younger adults; it gave no supplement, so it shows an association, not an effect [20].

In a randomized, double-blind trial of 39 active women, creatine loading (20 g a day in four 5 g doses) did not change heart rate variability [13]. On repeated sprints there was a phase-by-supplement interaction for fatigue (p = 0.048), with the greatest improvement in the high-hormone (luteal) phase, but the authors described the overall pattern as not statistically significant [13]. One author advises AlzChem [13].

In a 6-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 21 naturally menstruating women who did resistance training twice a week, 5 g of creatine a day increased total sleep on training days compared with placebo, with no change in overall sleep or sleep-quality scores [14]. One author serves on the Alzchem scientific advisory board [14].

• Bone density. Two 2-year trials and a meta-analysis found no effect of creatine on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women or older adults [9][10][11]; one trial was co-funded by AlzChem [10].
• Low doses without training. In postmenopausal women, trials using 3 g a day or less without resistance training showed no measurable effect [7].
• Brain benefits specific to women. The trials in women are small, mostly short and mixed [16][17][18][19], and one was funded by AlzChem, Create and WHOOP [19]. A study linking brain creatine to symptoms at perimenopause gave no supplement [20].
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. No randomized trials were found by a 2014 Cochrane review of creatine in pregnancy [23] or by our PubMed and Europe PMC searches as of November 11, 2026 (see the FAQ).

These are doses used in research, not a recommendation for anyone.

Table: Doses used in studies of creatine in women (not a recommendation)

In the UK, an authorized health claim states that daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55, with the effect obtained at 3 g a day in conjunction with resistance training [25].

A 2020 meta-analysis of 29 studies that monitored adverse outcomes in 951 females reported no deaths or serious adverse outcomes [21]. It found no statistically significant increase in total adverse events, weight gain, or kidney or liver complications, and the authors asked that future trials in females report adverse outcomes more fully [21]. In the 2026 postmenopausal meta-analysis, kidney measures were unchanged [7]. Across adults, a 2025 meta-analysis found a modest, transient rise in serum creatinine, which the authors said was likely due to metabolic turnover, with no significant change in kidney filtration rate [22].

Health Canada's creatine monograph covers adults 18 years and older [24]. It requires licensed products to state that users may gain weight, and to advise asking a health care practitioner before use during pregnancy or breastfeeding or with a kidney disorder [24]. These sources describe what has been reported, not what is right for any individual.

The grades on this page come from the creatine monograph and rate the evidence across all adults, not women alone. Our evidence grading method explains what each grade requires, and the evidence matrix shows creatine next to other compounds for physical performance and memory.

Does creatine make women gain weight?

A meta-analysis of 29 studies in females found no statistically significant increase in weight gain with creatine compared with control [21]. In a small trial in female dancers, total body water rose in the creatine group, and the authors noted that larger trials are needed to tell whether it increases muscle [12]. Health Canada requires licensed creatine products to state that users may gain weight [24].

Is creatine studied in pregnancy or while breastfeeding?

A Cochrane review found no randomized trials of creatine in pregnancy for its question, searching to November 30, 2014 [23]. As of November 11, 2026 we found no randomized trials of creatine supplementation in pregnant or breastfeeding women (PubMed and Europe PMC searches). Health Canada requires licensed products to advise asking a health care practitioner before use if pregnant or breastfeeding [24].

What has research in women around menopause found?

In postmenopausal women, a 2026 meta-analysis found small gains in lean mass and leg strength when creatine was combined with resistance training, and no overall change in bone density [7]. In women at perimenopause, two small 2026 trials reported changes on some measures, one of them funded by AlzChem, Create and WHOOP [18][19].