Written by
Hela Hałas
Reviewed by
Dr
Mei-yin Gruber
Key takeaways
Best for high-intensity exercise: creatine improves strength and repeated sprint performance, especially alongside resistance training.
Possible help after menopause: some studies show strength gains in postmenopausal women who also do resistance training, but results are mixed.
Brain benefits aren’t proven: there’s not enough evidence that it improves everyday thinking in healthy, well-rested adults.
Common myths don’t hold up: creatine doesn’t make women bulky, and there’s no good evidence it causes hair loss or kidney damage.
Tell your clinician: creatine can raise blood creatinine and lower eGFR on blood tests without meaning your kidneys are affected.
Medically reviewed by Dr Mei-yin Gruber
Creatine is one of the most extensively researched sports supplements, yet it is often marketed primarily towards men. Women generally have lower total creatine stores than men, partly because they have less skeletal muscle mass. Research also suggests that hormonal changes may influence creatine metabolism throughout a woman's life. But does this mean women should supplement? The strongest evidence supports creatine's role in improving high-intensity exercise performance, with growing interest in its potential benefits for muscle health, cognition and healthy ageing.
What is Creatine?
Creatine is a compound your body naturally makes from three amino acids (arginine, glycine, and methionine). ~95% of it is stored in skeletal muscle. Its primary purpose is to provide your cells with rapidly accessible energy during short, high-demand efforts or in organs that naturally require a lot of energy - such as your brain. Your body makes around 1g of creatine per day, while the rest comes from diet, mainly meat and fish. Supplementing creatine increases creatine stores by 20–40%. Creatine monohydrate is the most studied, most effective, and cheapest form of creatine supplementation.
5 habits that boost your longevity
Get a doctor-reviewed 5-day guide to diet, exercise, sleep, lifestyle and mental wellbeing. Practical, evidence-based, and ready to start today.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. By continuing, you agree to receive occasional updates from Emerald. See our Privacy Policy.
How does Creatine affect women?
Creatine supplementation has been shown to improve strength and performance during repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise, particularly when combined with resistance training. However, studies focusing exclusively on women have produced more variable results, and further research is needed to establish whether women experience the same magnitude of benefit as men.
Creatine may also be useful for older women. Some studies suggest that combining creatine with resistance training can improve strength and physical function in postmenopausal women. However, results are mixed, and creatine should be considered an addition to resistance training rather than a replacement for it.
Researchers are also investigating whether creatine could support memory, cognitive processing and mood. Although some early findings are encouraging, the evidence is not yet strong enough to recommend creatine specifically for brain health.
Can creatine improve brain function?
Creatine isn't just stored in our muscles; it also plays a role in the brain, helping cells produce and maintain the energy needed for normal cognitive function. This has led to growing interest in whether creatine supplementation could improve memory, concentration and mental performance. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis found some evidence that creatine supplementation may improve memory, attention and processing speed, although the studies were generally small and results varied. Benefits may be more noticeable in people experiencing sleep deprivation or other conditions that increase the brain's energy demands. However, there is currently insufficient evidence that creatine improves everyday cognitive performance in healthy, well-rested adults, and research specifically involving women remains limited.
Longevity starts with awareness
Less than £1/day. Test 124 biomarkers. Personalised plan and 1:1 GP support.
Myth busting
You may have heard of several claims dismissing creatine as a valuable supplement for women. Below are a few of the most popular:
Creatine causes bloating - Partly true. Creatine increases the amount of water stored within muscle cells, which can lead to a small increase in body weight, particularly when first starting supplementation. Some people also experience temporary gastrointestinal bloating, especially with larger doses.
Creatine makes women look bulky - False. Several studies show strength gains without large body weight or BMI changes.
Creatine causes hair loss - Unsupported. This claim traces back to a single small study that measured a hormone precursor in men, not actual hair loss.
Creatine damages your kidneys - False. Creatine does raise blood creatinine, but that's not indicative of kidney damage.
Creatine is overall unsafe - Unsupported. There are no known detrimental side effects of long-term creatine use in healthy people, including women.
Related biomarkers
Creatine supplementation can affect how we interpret certain kidney function blood tests. Creatine is naturally converted into creatinine, a waste product measured in routine blood tests to help assess kidney function.
Taking creatine supplements may increase blood creatinine levels, which can make your estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) appear lower. However, this does not necessarily indicate impaired kidney function.
A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis found that creatine supplementation increased serum creatinine without evidence of a significant decline in directly measured kidney filtration.
If you take creatine supplements, it is worth informing your clinician when interpreting your blood results. In some circumstances, alternative tests such as cystatin C may help provide a more accurate assessment of kidney function.
Emerald's stance
For women who regularly participate in resistance training or high-intensity exercise, creatine is a relatively inexpensive, well-studied supplement worth considering. Creatine monohydrate is the most extensively researched form, and a daily dose of 3–5 g is generally sufficient without requiring an initial loading phase.
However, creatine is not essential for good health, and the evidence for benefits beyond exercise performance remains less established. Women with kidney disease, or those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, should seek medical advice before supplementing because safety evidence in these groups is limited.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creatine can be a great supplement to add to your stack. As a woman, you shouldn't fear taking creatine. The common worries remain unsupported by scientific evidence.
There is a lot of good quality evidence behind creatine, from strength and lean muscle to emerging signals in cognition and mood. It works best paired with resistance training and good protein intake, and it's low-cost and well-tolerated.
Check your baseline kidney markers first, speak to a clinician if you're pregnant, breastfeeding or have kidney disease, and otherwise consider a simple 5g of daily creatine monohydrate.
References
Smith-Ryan AE, et al. Creatine supplementation in women's health: a lifespan perspective. Nutrients. 2021;13(3):877. Full text.
Does creatine supplementation enhance performance in active females? A systematic review. Nutrients. 2025;17(2):238. Full text.
Kabiri Naeini E, et al. Effect of creatine supplementation on kidney function: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Nephrol. 2025;26:622. Full text.
Maia RS, et al. Impact of creatine supplementation on kidney health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int Urol Nephrol. 2026. Full text.
Xu C, et al. The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive function in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Nutr. 2024;11:1424972. Full text.
Gordji-Nejad A, et al. Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation. Sci Rep. 2024;14:4937. Full text.
Learn more
