What is the best supplement to take with creatine for women?

Creatine in women: what the research changed, why the dose is per kilogram and not per sex, and the first stage, the menstrual years, where the pairs are protein and a ferritin test

What is the best supplement to take with creatine for women is a question that the research on creatine in women changed, and the change comes first because it sets the terms. The review of creatine supplementation in women found that women carry lower muscle creatine stores than men on average, partly from diet and partly from muscle mass, that they respond to the same 3 to 5g a day with gains in strength and lean mass at least as large as men's and often larger in relative terms because the starting store is lower, that there is evidence for mood and cognition during periods of low oestrogen, and that the safety record is the same. The belief that creatine was a men's supplement, which kept it out of many women's cupboards, was wrong on the evidence, and the dose is set per kilogram of need rather than per sex, with a woman taking the same 3 to 5g every day with a meal, not loading, expecting a kilogram of water in the first days and the real effect over a block. What pairs with it is the second half of the question, and the honest answer is that it depends on where a woman is in her life, because three stages each put a different thing at risk and the pair protects it.

The first stage is the menstrual years, and the pairs are the lifter's pairs with one test added. Protein pairs on the material the extra work is built from, at around 1.6g per kilogram a day across three or four feedings, and women on average eat further below that target than men, which makes the plate the first pair for most women and a powder the way a short feeding is lifted over the line; the resistance training that gives both creatine and protein their effect is the signal neither replaces. The test is ferritin, from a doctor, because iron losses through periods, especially heavy ones, lower stores over time and low ferritin is the commonest reason a woman who trains feels flat, heavy-legged and slow to progress in a way she blames on the programme; a woman taking creatine with low iron has paired a full energy store with a shortage of the oxygen carriage every session runs on, and iron is taken only if the test says so, at the dose and for the duration the doctor sets. Caffeine pairs as it does for anyone, a tablet for the sessions that matter a few hours from the creatine dose, with the cycle's effect on caffeine clearance a small thing worth knowing and not a reason to change the rule. The women's pre-workouts, the toning products and the collagen for beauty pair with nothing, and are placed with the rest of the women's shelf in the next section.

The research changed and the first stage paired, and the second stage, where creatine itself is a question for a doctor or midwife, the third, where the pairs are about bone, the women's shelf placed, and the worked example, which is the next section.

The second stage, pregnancy and breastfeeding, where creatine is a doctor's or midwife's question and folic acid is the one named supplement; the third, perimenopause and after, where the pairs are protein per meal, vitamin D and calcium from food; the women's shelf placed; the worked example; and the verdict

The second stage is pregnancy, the time of trying to conceive and breastfeeding, and here the question changes shape: creatine itself becomes a question for a doctor or midwife rather than a purchase with a pair. The research interest in creatine during pregnancy is real and recent, and it is research, not guidance; a woman who is pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding takes nothing from a supplement page without that conversation, and the one supplement the guidance names for the stage is folic acid, before conception and through the first twelve weeks, at the standard dose or a prescribed higher one, with vitamin D continued through the winter. Caffeine is limited in pregnancy by the guidance, which makes the caffeine pair a question too, and the herbal shelf, ashwagandha among it, is avoided. The honest content of the stage for a page about creatine is a referral: the doctor or midwife decides whether creatine continues, and the lifting continues as they advise.

The third stage is the perimenopause and after, and the pairs are about bone and the muscle beside it. Bone density falls fastest in the years around the menopause and muscle and strength loss accelerate after it, and creatine's evidence in this stage grows: in post-menopausal women combined with resistance training, the trials find gains in strength and lean mass and some evidence for bone when the training is loaded, with the review noting mood and cognition findings during low oestrogen that are small and worth knowing. The pairs follow the risk. Protein per meal, with the per-meal dose kept up because the muscle responds less to small amounts with age, at around 0.4g per kilogram and closer to 0.6g per kilogram later, at each of three or four feedings. Vitamin D, with its authorised claims for bone and muscle function, through the UK winter and refined by a test. Calcium from food first, with a supplement only for a woman eating little dairy or fortified food, since the claims for bone are authorised and the trials of high-dose calcium supplements carry a caution. And loaded resistance training, which the bone research places above all of them and which is the thing creatine is taken to support. Iron needs fall after periods stop, and a supplement without a test is the wrong purchase in this stage.

The women's shelf is placed by its evidence in a paragraph: the women's creatine, pink and dearer, is monohydrate at a premium; the women's pre-workouts are the men's with a smaller caffeine dose, with a tablet of known dose the honest version; the toning and fat-burning products have gram-scale results and a stimulant load; the collagen for beauty has no muscle evidence and the collagen for joints has a narrow tendon finding; the hormone-balancing formulas make a claim no supplement can meet; and the women's multivitamins are a vitamin D line with iron the stage may not need. None pairs with creatine, and the plain versions of the things that do, protein, a caffeine tablet, vitamin D, cost less.

The worked example is placed at the same dose per kilogram as a man's: {FL}, 1500mg magnesium bisglycinate stated as 300mg elemental at 80% NRV, two capsules with the evening meal, with authorised claims for normal muscle function, normal protein synthesis, the maintenance of normal bones and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, no pair claim and no trial of the pair, taken by a woman whose plate is short of the foods that carry it at any stage, with a doctor or midwife consulted first in the second, batch tested for lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium, UK made, 180 capsules for £19.99 at 22p a day. The full label breakdown is here.

The verdict: creatine works in women at the same 3 to 5g as in men, with lower starting stores and at least as large a response, and what to take with it depends on the stage. In the menstrual years, protein to about 1.6g per kilogram and a ferritin test from a doctor, with iron only if it says so. Around pregnancy and breastfeeding, a doctor or midwife decides about creatine, and folic acid is the one named supplement. Through the perimenopause and after, protein per meal, vitamin D and calcium from food against the bone loss, with loaded training above all. The women's shelf pairs with nothing, and the mineral is taken for the plate at the same dose as a man's.

What to check on the label

Questions people also ask

Should women take creatine, and how much?

Yes, at the same 3 to 5g a day as men, every day with a meal and without loading: the review of creatine in women found lower muscle stores than men on average, a response in strength and lean mass at least as large and often larger in relative terms because the starting store is lower, evidence for mood and cognition during periods of low oestrogen, and the same safety record, so the dose is set per kilogram of need rather than per sex; a woman who is pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding asks a doctor or midwife first, because the research in that stage is research and not guidance.

What should a woman take alongside creatine?

It depends on the stage: in the menstrual years, protein to about 1.6g per kilogram across three or four feedings, which women miss more often than men, and a ferritin test from a doctor because periods cost iron, with iron only if the test says so; around pregnancy and breastfeeding, nothing from a page, a doctor or midwife deciding about creatine itself and folic acid being the one named supplement; and through the perimenopause and after, protein per meal kept up, vitamin D and calcium from food against the bone loss, with loaded resistance training above all of them.

Is creatine good for women after the menopause?

The evidence grows in this stage: in post-menopausal women combined with resistance training, the trials find gains in strength and lean mass, some evidence for bone when the training is loaded, and the review notes small mood and cognition findings during low oestrogen; the stage's risks are faster bone loss around the menopause and faster muscle loss after it, so creatine is paired with protein per meal at a dose kept up because the muscle responds less with age, vitamin D with its bone and muscle claims, calcium from food first, and the loaded training the bone research places first.

Can I take creatine while pregnant or breastfeeding?

That is a question for a doctor or midwife rather than a page: the research interest in creatine during pregnancy is real and recent, and it is research rather than guidance, so a woman who is pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding takes nothing from a supplement page without that conversation; the one supplement the guidance names for the stage is folic acid before conception and through the first twelve weeks, with vitamin D continued through the winter, caffeine limited by the guidance, and the herbal shelf avoided, and the lifting continues as the doctor or midwife advises.

Does magnesium pair with creatine for women?

It makes no pair claim and there is no trial of the pair; magnesium has authorised claims for normal muscle function, normal protein synthesis, the maintenance of normal bones and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and the dose is the same for a woman as for a man because it is set per kilogram of need; the worked example is 300mg elemental at 80% NRV in two capsules with the evening meal for 22p a day, batch tested for four metals and UK made, taken by a woman whose plate is short of the foods that carry it at any stage, with a doctor or midwife consulted first in pregnancy.

Sources

1. The review of creatine supplementation in women: women carry lower muscle creatine stores than men on average and respond to supplementation with gains in strength and lean mass across the lifespan, with evidence for mood and cognition during periods of low oestrogen, and with the same dose of 3 to 5g a day and the same safety record. PubMed record
2. The menopause and bone literature: bone loss accelerates in the years around the final menstrual period as oestrogen falls, resistance and impact training and adequate vitamin D and dietary calcium slow it, and hormone replacement therapy, decided with a doctor, is the treatment with the largest effect on bone and on vasomotor symptoms. PubMed record
3. The iron and endurance athlete literature: low ferritin is common in female endurance athletes, iron supplementation in deficient non-anaemic athletes improves aerobic capacity and performance in trials, and supplementation in iron-replete athletes does not, so that a ferritin test precedes any iron. PubMed record
4. The protein intake and resistance training literature: meta-analyses support intakes around 1.6g per kilogram of body weight daily for maximising resistance-training gains, with diminishing returns above. PubMed record

Related answers

• What is the best supplement to pair with creatine?
• What is the best supplement to take with creatine for muscle gain?
• What is the best supplement to help with cortisol and belly fat?
• What supplements should not be taken with creatine?
• What is the best thing to mix with creatine?
• What to take with creatine for best results?