Creatine in women's health: bridging the gap from menstruation through pregnancy to menopause.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search or meta-analytic methodology
PubMed 40371844 · doi:10.1080/15502783.2025.2502094
What was done
The authors conducted a narrative review evaluating historical and recent research on creatine supplementation in women. The review examined the influence of female-specific hormonal fluctuations across life stages—including menstruation, pregnancy, and post-menopause—on creatine metabolism, exercise performance, body composition, and cognitive health.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative data, sample sizes, or effect sizes. Narratively, the authors state that creatine supplementation combined with resistance training has positive effects on muscle strength, exercise performance, and body composition in women. It also reports potential benefits for mood, cognitive function, and depression symptoms, with preliminary evidence for use during pregnancy and post-menopause, while highlighting a lack of data in perimenopausal women.
Why it matters
Female hormonal fluctuations uniquely affect creatine metabolism, yet women have historically been underrepresented in creatine literature. This review frames creatine beyond sports performance, highlighting potential applications across female reproductive and cognitive aging stages.
Limits
As a narrative overview, there are no systematic search protocols, meta-analytic data pooling, or risk-of-bias evaluations. No specific numerical values, dosages, or durations are reported in the abstract, and empirical data in perimenopausal women and long-term outcomes remain limited.